An expert group meeting (EGM) on “Creating a Psychosocial Ecosystem for Women Entrepreneurs” was conducted in Hanoi on September 18, 2020, under the project Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship (CWE). The meeting was facilitated by the Agency for Enterprise Development, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam (AED-MPI), wherein representatives from over ten expert agencies presented perspectives on psychosocial aspects in advancing women’s entrepreneurship in Vietnam.
Speaking at the EGM, Ms. Bui Thu Thuy, Director-General AED, highlighted the significance of women entrepreneurs in Vietnam and their strengths in contributing to the country's social and economic development. She pointed out that despite significant contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development, women-owned SMEs face many challenges and disadvantages compared to their male counterparts. Cultural norms, family responsibilities, and social context especially contribute to these difficulties.
Experts from LUMIERE Psychology Research and Practice Institute, Consultancy and Life Psychology Joint Stock Company, Vietnam- France Psychology and Psychiatry Institute, and other agencies also pointed out the disproportional care responsibilities of women entrepreneurs and pressures they face in their entrepreneurial lives due to persistent gender norms in Vietnam.
The panel discussions conducted provided a substantive background on women entrepreneurs' psychosocial support needs, ranging from constraints in accessing resources to broader socio-cultural norms in Vietnam. The discussions also included presentations from psychological counselling organizations and SME development organizations.
The EGM represented a critical step in supporting the access and use of psychosocial support services for women entrepreneurs and its impact on women's capacity to engage in a profitable, productive, and competitive entrepreneurial activity in Vietnam.
The EGM concluded with developing a concrete follow-up plan to identify and collate psychosocial support resources for women entrepreneurs. The information resulting from the expert group meeting will also contribute to the content being developed for the Women Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Sub Portal as part of the National SME Support Portal.
The full report and concept note can be found here.
The News Link: http://www.mpi.gov.vn/pages/tinanhchitiet.aspx?idAlbum=1053&VHCS=0&QPTDNNVV=
About ESCAP’s Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme
This initiative is implemented under a regional programme initiative titled ‘Catalyzing Women’s Entrepreneurship: Creating a Gender-Responsive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ funded by the Government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada, and implemented by ESCAP. The programme aims to support the growth of women entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region through addressing the challenges faced at three levels: enabling policy environment, access to finance and use of ICT for entrepreneurship. For more information, visit https://www.unescap.org/projects/cwe.