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Awareness, Perceptions, Gaps, and Uptake of Maternity Protection among Formally Employed Women in Vietnam

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  • Tuan T. Nguyen

    (Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI 360, Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Jennifer Cashin

    (Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI 360, Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Ha T. T. Tran

    (Research and Training Center for Community Development, Hanoi 11616, Vietnam)

  • Duong H. Vu

    (Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI 360, Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Arijit Nandi

    (Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada)

  • Minh T. Phan

    (Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Nguyen D. C. Van

    (Research and Training Center for Community Development, Hanoi 11616, Vietnam)

  • Amy Weissman

    (Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI 360, Hanoi 11022, Vietnam
    Asia Pacific Regional Office, FHI 360, Bangkok 10330, Thailand)

  • Toan N. Pham

    (Institute of labor Science & Social Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Binh V. Nguyen

    (Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

  • Roger Mathisen

    (Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia, FHI 360, Hanoi 11022, Vietnam)

Abstract

Maternity protection is a normative fundamental human right that enables women to combine their productive and reproductive roles, including breastfeeding. The aim of this study is to examine the uptake of Vietnam’s maternity protection policy in terms of entitlements and awareness, perceptions, and gaps in implementation through the lens of formally employed women. In this mixed methods study, we interviewed 494 formally employed female workers, among whom 107 were pregnant and 387 were mothers of infants and conducted in-depth interviews with a subset of these women ( n = 39). Of the 494 women interviewed, 268 (54.3%) were working in blue-collar jobs and more than 90% were contributing to the public social insurance fund. Among the 387 mothers on paid maternity leave, 51 (13.2%) did not receive cash entitlements during their leave. Among the 182 mothers with infants aged 6–11 months, 30 (16.5%) returned to work before accruing 180 days of maternity leave. Of 121 women who had returned to work, 26 (21.5%) did not receive a one-hour paid break every day to express breastmilk, relax, or breastfeed, and 46 (38.0%) worked the same or more hours per day than before maternity leave. Although most women perceived maternity leave as beneficial for the child’s health (92.5%), mother’s health (91.5%), family (86.2%), and society (90.7%), fewer women perceived it as beneficial for their income (59.5%), career (46.4%), and employers (30.4%). Not all formally employed women were aware of their maternity protection rights: women were more likely to mention the six-month paid maternity leave (78.7%) and one-hour nursing break (62.3%) than the other nine entitlements (2.0–35.0%). In-depth interviews with pregnant women and mothers of infants supported findings from the quantitative survey. In conclusion, although Vietnam’s maternity protection policy helps protect the rights of women and children, our study identified implementation gaps that limit its effectiveness. To ensure that all women and their families can fully benefit from maternity protection, there is a need to increase awareness of the full set of maternity entitlements, strengthen enforcement of existing policies, and expand entitlements to the informal sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Tuan T. Nguyen & Jennifer Cashin & Ha T. T. Tran & Duong H. Vu & Arijit Nandi & Minh T. Phan & Nguyen D. C. Van & Amy Weissman & Toan N. Pham & Binh V. Nguyen & Roger Mathisen, 2022. "Awareness, Perceptions, Gaps, and Uptake of Maternity Protection among Formally Employed Women in Vietnam," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:8:p:4772-:d:794097
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2015. "Women in the Workforce: An Unmet Potential in Asia and the Pacific," ADB Reports RPT157205-2, Asian Development Bank (ADB).
    2. Eun Jung Kim & Won Ju Hwang & Mi Jeong Kim, 2021. "Determinants of Perceived Accessibility of Maternity Leave and Childcare Leave in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Ann P. Bartel & Maya Rossin†Slater & Christopher J. Ruhm & Jenna Stearns & Jane Waldfogel, 2018. "Paid Family Leave, Fathers’ Leave†Taking, and Leave†Sharing in Dual†Earner Households," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(1), pages 10-37, January.
    4. Avendano, Mauricio & Berkman, Lisa F. & Brugiavini, Agar & Pasini, Giacomo, 2015. "The long-run effect of maternity leave benefits on mental health: Evidence from European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 45-53.
    5. Arijit Nandi & Mohammad Hajizadeh & Sam Harper & Alissa Koski & Erin C Strumpf & Jody Heymann, 2016. "Increased Duration of Paid Maternity Leave Lowers Infant Mortality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Quasi-Experimental Study," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, March.
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    1. Catherine Pereira-Kotze & Mieke Faber & Luke Kannemeyer & Tanya Doherty, 2023. "Access to Maternity Protection and Potential Implications for Breastfeeding Practices of Domestic Workers in the Western Cape of South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-21, February.

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