Women in the spotlight
This week is special: today we celebrate International Women's Day!
In Vietnam, ethnic groups have their own practices. Let's discover the place of women in Southeast Asia through the experience lived and reported by Lucie .
Lucie tells us about a women's day in Vietnam
How is Women's Day celebrated in Vietnam?
In Vietnam, Women's Day is celebrated on October 20! Women do not do any household (or administrative) tasks, so men take on their role for one day.
Did you participate in Women's Day? If so, what struck you the most?
Yes, in October 2019, I had the chance to celebrate this day somewhat by chance. I had gone to spend a few days with a family that harvests rubber, what a surprise to see the men at the stove and the women resting!
What kind of gifts do women receive?
On this day, men mainly offer flowers but also cards or more personal gifts to women and get cooking!
The woman in an ethnic group
What is a matriarchal ethnicity?
In the world, and particularly in Asia, certain ethnic groups are said to be matriarchal : women are the heads of the family, they pass on their family name to their children, their husbands take their name and they even ask the man they wish to marry in marriage!
What is the role of women in ethnic groups?
This varies by ethnicity, for example the majority ethnicity in Vietnam, the Kinh, is patriarchal: women follow their husbands and are responsible for all household chores.
Some ethnic groups such as the Ede (Ede collection ) or the Cils ( Niamsa collection ) are matriarchal: the distribution of tasks is more balanced, men do the tasks that require the most physical effort and women take care of the children and the house. Men give their income to their wives who manage the money.
How does Opportunity for Women help these women?
Despite the distance, we accompany and support 50 weavers in their life projects and in Asia. These women are passionate about their profession. They enjoy working in a team as much as alone at home, are of all ages and have educational projects as their goal such as opening schools or being able to provide for their children's studies thanks to their income that we provide them each month. These weaving programs also help with the integration of women in difficulty, such as in Luang Prabang in Laos where we support a weaving program for deaf and/or mute girls.
Keywords : Asia, Vietnam, ethnic groups, woman, women, day, weavers