The report, Mind the gap: Getting more women into leadership in Vietnam’s banking sector is a joint effort between IFC and the State Bank of Vietnam. The report, based on surveys of nearly 40,000 banking sector employees in Vietnam as well as interviews and focus groups with middle and senior management representatives in the sector, provides a snapshot of where women and men are employed, challenges women can face in their banking careers, and opportunities for banks to close gender gaps in leadership.
The report shows there was strong recognition of the value of gender equality in the banking sector, especially how gender diversity in senior positions could help banks attract and retain skill while expanding a robust base of female management talent, boosting workforce productivity and financial performance. However, many banks did not know how or make the effort to create a more gender equal workforce and leadership team. Women reported less access to all forms of training and career development opportunities, with strong evidence they also faced overt and unconscious bias over childbearing and childcare responsibilities. From that, the report provides recommendations to banks to promote more women into leadership, and gender equality in the workplace.
Executive Summary in Vietnamese
