Bridging the gender gap in waste management: Key instruments for Viet Nam’s success

Viet Nam, as a developing country experiencing rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, faces pressing issues in waste management According to data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), the country generates around 60,000 tons of household waste daily, impacting public health, environmental sustainability, and societal equity. In addition, the sector exhibits a notable gender gap in which women and men experience waste management differently both in terms of their roles and the impacts they face. Addressing this gender gap is essential for achieving equitable and sustainable waste management in Viet Nam.

In many ASEAN countries, including Viet Nam, women traditionally handle household waste as part of their daily work, leading to their close involvement in domestic waste management and related services. In the informal waste management sector, while men dominate higher-income positions like truck driving, scrap dealing, and decision-making roles, women are often found in lower-tier roles, such as waste picking and landfill sorting. As depicted in Figure 1, in Viet Nam, there is a higher representation of males among formal waste collectors compared to females. In contrast, the informal sector shows a different trend, with females constituting the majority, particularly the informal recycling collectors, where females account for 84.6% of this workforce. This division not only reflects societal gender gaps but also excludes women from formal waste management opportunities, depriving them of necessary protections and benefits such as social insurance and labor safety.

Despite the significant role played by the informal sector in managing waste in Viet Nam, this sector remains insufficiently recognized in waste management policies. While the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection includes principles of gender equality and social security, it fails to acknowledge or support informal waste workers. Therefore, the informal sector, particularly female waste workers, still faces challenging and hazardous conditions due to inadequate infrastructure, lack of equipment, and exposure to sharp or hazardous waste, posing significant health and safety risks. Bridging the gap in waste management, particularly the gender gap, is a significant topic that needs to be more addressed in Viet Nam for sustainable waste management.

To bridge the gender gap in waste management and promote equitable outcomes, Viet Nam can implement several key instruments:

– Studying gender gap: A gender-sensitive study in Viet Nam’s waste management sector is currently lacking, leaving gaps in understanding gender disparities and needs. Conducting such a study would enable Viet Nam to pinpoint specific areas requiring attention to bridge gender gaps, for example, decision-making roles or accessibility to the rights of health insurance, labor safety, fairness in job opportunities and social benefits. This research aims not only to identify the specific demands of women but also to recognise their contributions to society and the environment, emphasising their unique strengths in the waste management sector.

– Mainstreaming gender in policy development: Viet Nam can draw valuable insights into gender mainstreaming from successful international case studies. To date, the Vietnamese government has started to mainstream gender into guidelines and trainings for waste segregation at source, national and local action plans’ implementation, sustainable tourism services’ operational procedures, etc. They are also drawing insights from international experiences to expand these practices across different sectors and regions.

– Capacity building and empowerment: Empowering women and marginalised groups through targeted training and capacity-building initiatives to enhance their skills, knowledge, and leadership in waste management, including providing training in waste segregation at source, recycling technologies, social skills, and entrepreneurship opportunities within the sector. For example, the Women in Waste’s Economic Empowerment (WWEE) initiative, piloted in Metro Manila, Philippines, and Semarang, Indonesia, introduces innovative approaches to promoting gender equality and creating green jobs in waste management. These initiatives have the potential to be replicated and scaled globally for greater impact and Viet Nam could draw valuable lessons from such programs to empower women in waste management roles, as follow the WWEE project’s steps demonstrated in Figure 2.

In conclusion, these strategies offer some insights to address the gender gap in Viet Nam’s waste management sector. However, careful consideration is needed to adapt these approaches to fit the local context effectively. For example, with Viet Nam’s impending requirement for waste segregation at its source by 2025, initiatives like the introduction of gender-sensitive measures within the ASEAN Municipal Solid Waste Management Enhancement (AMUSE) project, piloted in Da Lat City, are pivotal steps for the upcoming future of gender equitable outlook of Viet Nam.

For further information about gender mainstreaming in waste management , please contact Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc (ngoc.nguyen1@giz.de).

Further information:

GIZ (2018). Inclusion of Informal Collectors into the Evolving Waste Management System in Serbia. GIZ, Belgrade.

GIZ (2018). Integrating Gender in Waste Management Capacity Development, GIZ Gender. GIZ, Pristina.

Ocean Conservancy (2019). The role of gender in waste management: Gender perspectives on waste in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Singapore: GA Circular. Available at https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Role-of-Gender-in-Waste-Management.pdf (Accessed on 21 June, 2024).

USAID (2023). Case Study- Metro Manila, Philippines; Semarang, Indonesia: Women in Waste’s Economic Empowerment Activity: Empowering Women to Reduce Ocean Plastics. Available at https://urban-links.org/wp-content/uploads/Final_CCBO_WWEE_508.pdf (Accessed on 21 June, 2024).

Viet Nam National Assembly (2020). Law No.72/2020/QH14 on Environmental Protection.

Authors: Dang Hong Minh, Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, Markus Spitzbart