The Effects of Female Return Migration on Gender Equality Within the Vietnamese Household

Abstract

Return migration is seen as a development actor for the country of origin. Return migrants can cause brain gain and flows of cultural values through social networks. This research aims to identify the effects female return migrants have on their ascribed gender role within the Vietnamese household. Gender inequality, especially on the household level, is a common occurrence in Vietnam, this undermines the livelihood of women. In the existing literature gender is often researched in relation to migration. However the focus usually lies in how gender influences migration, not on how migration influences gender roles. In this thesis a comparison is made between the effects on the lives of high skilled and low skilled female return migrants. The low skilled women migrated to Laos for labor purposes, while the high skilled women migrated to different countries to obtain a master’s or PhD degree. In order to carry out this study, twenty-four retrospective interviews were held with female return migrants. The gender roles of the women were positively affected by their migration. Both groups of participants described they obtained a higher status within their families due to a higher income or a higher educational degree. The low skilled women expressed that they got more responsibilities after returning to Vietnam, while the high skilled women expressed a change of mind about how gender roles should be, though the situation did not change equally to their ideas. Although positive changes were made, within both groups of respondents the status of the women stayed inferior to their husbands’.