ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the challenges female leaders face from multiple perspectives including historical, cultural, and institutional. It argues that gender norms, shaped by Confucianism doctrines and reinforced by the media, have made it an uphill battle for Vietnamese women to participate in leadership positions in businesses and state agencies. The chapter deals with a discussion on the historical and cultural background of Vietnam with regards to gender equality and female leadership. It focuses on recent institutional efforts undertaken by the government in contemporary Vietnam. The chapter is concerned with the barriers that are barring them from climbing up the leadership ladder. The interplay between its historical matriarchy, unceasing struggles against foreign aggressors, the influence of Confucianism doctrines, and later on, the communist ideology in the modern days greatly impacted the patterns of gender relations in Vietna. Vietnamese women’s independence, strength, and leadership roles have been recorded since the country’s ancient time.
