July 1, 2002 - Domestic
Vigorous socio-economic changes in Vietnam are exerting a major impact on the family. In general, Vietnamese families are in the transitional period from a traditional to an advanced model. The transition has seen some new factors and relations in the family life, but in essence, the Vietnamese family remains in its traditional setting. Following are some observations based on a survey.
The Vietnamese family today
The Vietnamese family now exists in two major forms: nuclear families (two generations) and extended families (from three generations upwards). The nuclear family is the most common. According to findings of a survey of three regions including cities, plain and midland-highland: nuclear families account for 78% (cities, 65%; plain, 81.7% and midland - highland areas, 80.6%). The nuclear family does not stand on its own but always receives support and assistance from wider families (parents, brothers and wider kin). Three-generation families account for a small percentage: 18.2% (cities, 35%; plain, 13%; and midland-highland, 18%). Meanwhile, four-generation families are very few (0.5%).
According to researchers, the average number of members in a family is about ten. Currently, the average members in a family is less than half from the previous figure. Families of 2-3 members account for 19.6%; 4-5 members make up 57.4% and 6-7 members 19.4%. The average number in a family in North Vietnam is 4.5 (cities, 4.3; plain, 4.5 and midland-highland, 4.7). This shows that the family scale tends to narrow.
As in traditional families, men still play the crucial role in contemporary families (as household chiefs). Men heading their families amount to 78.3% while women as house chiefs account for only 21.7%. There is a difference in the male-female proportion heading the family in the surveyed regions (cities, 82.4%; plain, 80.3%; midland-highland, 60.3%). The question of who will head the house is influenced by traditional cultural factors, economic potential, social position or their prestige in the family.
Relationships in marriage and the family always receives due respect from the people. Regarding marital status, married women account for an overwhelming rate of 91.9%; divorced, 0.7%; separated, 0.6%; widowed, 5.5%. Figures show that current marriage is progressive, abiding by law while inheriting the nation's fine traditions. 93.2% of marriages are registered in which in cities, 98%; plain, 92.2%; midland - highland, 91.7%. Wedding registration has become a lawful principle and is carried on national scale regardless of geographical region, ethnicity and religion. The marriage model has basically changed from traditional concept. Current wedding is carried out on regular and democratic basis. Young people are independent in their choice of their intended with consultation of their parents' opinions (54.7%); fully determined by themselves (29%); arranged by parents (10%). The democratic and voluntary trends in wedding corresponds with educational qualifications. Wedding age is basically observed by young people. Few get married below 18 years of age (Men: 2.2%; women: 2.4%). The average marriage age in cities is 25.6 and in the countryside is 22.5. The higher educational qualifications, the later people tend to marry. At present, there are changes in marriage norms with regard to the impact of economic factors, social status, and educational qualifications. Figures show that pragmatism has little impact in marriage and economic impact accounts for only 7.4%, social position 2.3% and qualifications 5.2%. Traditional values such as morality (75.6%), fitting (67.1%), love (49.8%) and outward appearance (19.4%) make up current marriage standards. Regarding accommodation for young married couples, 27.9% live in their private places; 70.5% stay with parents (mostly husband's parents); The current model of accommodation reflects the popularity the nuclear family. Up to 69.5% of surveyed people say they live with their teenage children; 15% live with parents; 5.6% live with grown-up children and 8.6% live on their own.
Major basic family relationship (between husband and wife, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren) has changed positively due to the process of renovation. Advanced and modern values have been selected carefully while traditional values restored, preserved and developed. Children obey and respect their parents while maintaining their independent ideas and views. Parents respect their children's independence out of their love and leniency. Dividing inherited property has made progress. There is a growing tendency of disregarding male-female factor, and hierarchy in property inheritance (59.3%) compared with the old concept (40.7%). This represents a new feature in the Vietnamese family.
The relationship between grandparents and parents is also noticeable. Parents and grandparents tend to live together with their children and grandchildren. This traditional cultural feature distinguishes itself from that of modern western society. Statistics show that the elderly play an important role in the family. At present parents or grandparents living together with children or grandchildren has several advantages.
Fundamental roles of the family
- Economic role: Survey findings show that the current family remains an important production unit of society. Of course, the family is no longer a complete self catering production chain, but rather a production household, engaged in production, business or services with different trades and different incomes. In general, groups of households earning mainly from salaries, allowances, trade and services, have higher income than those engaged in farming or animal raising.
The economic role of the family is reflected in two fundamental activities: direct work to generate cash such as salaries, trade, services, hiring out labour or selling craft products. The other is indirect work such as cultivation, animal husbandry, creating products to meet daily consumption needs of the family, including the preservation of food and foodstuffs, expenditure management, healthcare and meals for family members. In the family, the husband tends to engage in economic activity that generate cash income and the wife takes part in indirect economic activity, bringing products that meet daily needs of family members.
Due to economic progress, family life has improved. Apart from investment in production and business, many families have purchased modern refurbishment. In cities 99% of households own television sets; 77.7% have radios; 66% have video players; 79%, refrigerators; 75.7% with telephones; 15% with air conditioners; 81%, motorbikes and; 38.7% with washing machines. In the countryside 55.4% households have television sets; 30.7% have radios; 91.9% have bicycles; 23.9%, expensive furniture and; 13.9 % own motorbikes. Meanwhile, in the midland and highland areas, 62.5% of households own televisions; 25.5% have radios; 32.6% have expensive furniture; 89.1% have bicycles; 19.9%, motorbikes. Differences remain in spending structure among families of different regions. Urban families spend 36.7% of their total income on daily meals. In the plain, families spend 51% and midland - highland spend 60.1% on daily meals. Obviously, in the country, which remains poor, household economy caters for only essential needs. The family is not only a production - business unit, but also a consumer in society. Strengthening household economy will be a prerequisite factor to ensure stability and development of the family.
Child bearing and healthcare role: This role is extremely important as it not only reproduces human beings but also regenerates the labour force for society. In Vietnam the need for having children represents a decisive factor for the existence of the family. In the recent past, the campaign for population and family planning has obtained initial important results. The birth rate has dropped considerably from previously. Survey findings show that the actual average number of children in a family is 3.06 (2.33 in cities). The expected number of children is 2.48. Those of high educational qualifications and young age tend to have fewer children than those who have lower qualifications and higher age (49.1%) who wish to have sons as continuity of the generation and as someone to rely on when they grow old. This should be taken into account in family planning. Currently, feasible measures for families include a reduction in the birth rate, organisation of good family meals and special attention to the elderly and children.
Social-educational role plays an important role in the family because it contributes to shaping personality of each individual. This issue receives particular attention from all family members. Many families invest time and money in caring for and educating their children (86.4% of fathers and 91.2% of mothers surveyed, spend time teaching their children). Some parents regrettably cannot afford time to care for and educate their children (13.6% fathers and 8.8% mothers). Sex education is showing positive results as it is no longer a taboo. More and more people are becoming interested in this issue (37.6% of parents assert that they handle sex education for their children); Among those who say no to sex education for children, 69.7% say this is because their children are too young.
The role of the woman in the family
Women play an extremely important role in developing household economies. They are the main labour force in several socio-economic aspects: production, animal husbandry, trade and services, contributing to generating income for the family. Together with their husbands, women make up the major source of income for the family.
Despite being a major labour force, women still play a crucial role in home affairs. Women shoulder the burden of domestic work with little contribution from their husbands. Women are indispensable in taking care of the whole family and regenerating labour force of the family. Although socio-economic relations have changed these days, the gender relationship remains almost unchanged. That is why in modern society, women still bear the heaviest workload and responsibility.
Although changes have taken place regarding the woman�s role and position in important family affairs such as production, business, major expenditures and deciding on the number of children, women�s actual role is even higher than that. Men and the society in general have not fully evaluated the significant role of women. Women should be given more power in access, management, and administration of resources to make full use of their potential, especially in developing household economies.
Today women take an active part in social and community activities. Women�s presence in community activities (as chiefs or representatives of the their families in dealing with affairs of hamlets, wards, communes gatherings etc) mark outstanding progress in their role of integration and a positive change in their social position.
Vietnamese people are most concerned with marriage and the family because of its significance not only for each individual but also for all of society. In an effort to consolidate the family, with support and assistance to enable Vietnamese families to approach advanced values of the times while inheriting traditional quintessence, the Party and State should pay attention to the following issues:
- Issuing economic policies aimed at enhancing household economies towards economic, occupational and labour restructuring aimed at creating diverse income sources for the family.
- Formulating strategies for educational development under different forms aimed at raising the general knowledge for each family member, and supporting growth for all families.
- Planning support policies on family reunions, creating favourable conditions for members to be closely linked together, giving incentives to family resource development, regarding accommodation, physical conditions for family existence and development. Policies encouraging rural crafts should be issued, while working out a mechanism to retain farmers in their home places to do farming or non-agricultural crafts. This will help reinforce family relationship and accelerate development of household economies.
- Delivering projects and policies on hunger and poverty reduction, considering them as long-term solutions. Hunger elimination and poverty alleviation should be incorporated in socio-economic development programmes for different regions, aimed at creating uniform development policies and strategies. Households should be considered the core in the implementation of hunger and poverty reduction programmes.
- Continuing on a large scale policies on population and family planning with new measures and strategies to match new socio-economic conditions.
- Improving policies on social welfare towards the elderly to enable them to find proper places to live.
- Increasing IEC on gender issues to gradually remove social prejudices, and create gender equity in social life. Inheriting and grasping progressive quintessence that matches the nation�s fine cultural identities, while avoiding individualistic and pragmatic lifestyles, strengthening the fine relationship of the Vietnamese family.
By NGUYEN LINH KHIEU, PhD
Research Centre for Women and the Family
