Transgender employment and entrepreneurialism in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

This article shares insights from research into the economic opportunities and obstacles that Vietnamese transgender men and women face in a fast-growing economy mainly composed of small and medium-sized enterprises. The findings demonstrate that gender norms lead to economic inequality between trans men and women. They also show that small businesses and entrepreneurship play an important role in creating legitimate and satisfying employment for transgender people.

Cet article présente des idées émanant de recherches menées sur les opportunités économiques et les obstacles auxquels se heurtent les hommes et femmes transgenres vietnamiens dans une économie en croissance rapide composée principalement de petites et moyennes entreprises. Les conclusions montrent que les normes de genre aboutissent à des inégalités économiques entre hommes et femmes transgenres. Elles indiquent par ailleurs que les petites entreprises et l’entrepreneuriat jouent un rôle important dans la création d’emplois légitimes et gratifiants pour les personnes transgenres.

El presente artículo da cuenta de los hallazgos obtenidos en una investigación sobre las oportunidades y los obstáculos económicos enfrentados por los transgéneros vietnamitas, tanto hombres como mujeres, en el marco de una economía en rápido crecimiento integrada principalmente por pequeñas y medianas empresas. Los hallazgos indican que las normas de género producen desigualdades económicas entre hombres y mujeres transgéneros. Asimismo, muestran que las pequeñas empresas y el espíritu empresarial juegan un papel importante a la hora de crear empleos legítimos y satisfactorios para las personas transgéneras.

KEYWORDS:

• Transgender
• Vietnam
• employment
• entrepreneurs
• gender

Acknowledgements

This case study was funded as part of the Accountable Grants programme by the UK Government, through the Department for International Development; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s policies. We particularly thank Simon Colmer (Institute of Development Studies) who worked with us as part of our research team and is responsible for the visualisation of the online data, as well as valuable contributions to the development of the online survey. We also thank all involved in the research as participants, key informants, research advisors, and field workers – including all the transgender people and employers who took part in the in-depth interviews and online survey.

Notes on contributors

Pauline Oosterhoff is a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. Postal address: Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RE, UK. Email: [email protected]

Tu-Anh Hoang is Director of the Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population, Vietnam. Email: [email protected]

Notes

1 Trans men are defined here as birth-assigned females identifying and/or presenting as male, or (in those cultures in which it is accepted that there are more than two genders), as another gender with characteristics commonly perceived as masculine. Transgender people are ‘individuals whose gender identity and/or expression of their gender differs from social norms related to their gender of birth. The term … describes a wide range of identities, roles and experiences which can vary considerably from one culture to another’ (definition adopted from USAID/UNDP , cited in Winter 2012).

2 Trans women are birth-assigned males identifying and/or presenting as female, or (in those cultures in which it is accepted that there are more than two genders), as members of another gender with characteristics commonly perceived as feminine.

3 Self-employment is often a means of avoiding discrimination by employers. Reforming the attitudes of management at an existing business is slow work; creating one’s own business is quicker. New opportunities for self-employment are offered by Vietnam’s online economy, which is growing fast: from 2013 to 2015, the number of businesses involved in online trading increased by 100 per cent (Phạm Trí Hùng 2015). Total online revenues in 2014 were US$2.97 billion; by 2020 that is expected to grow to US$10 billion (a growth rate of over 20 per cent per year) (ibid.). ICT and digital technologies have opened up new spaces for economic activity, and the anonymity and low start-up costs of an online business can provide transgender people with a relatively safe working environment However, research in neighbouring China suggests that unequal power relations between the genders are also reproduced in digital spaces (Wallis 2015).

4 For more information on CCIHP, see http://ccihp.org/?lang=eng; on iSEE, see http://isee.org.vn/en; and on ICS, see https://www.facebook.com/icsvn (last checked 14 February 2018).

5 Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Hung Yen, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, and Son La.

6 For an example, see iSEE (2013) Employment of Trans Women.

7 See www.wageindicator.org/main/salary/minimum-wage/vietnam (last checked 14 February 2018).

8 For example, see http://motthegioi.vn/thoi-su-c-66/xa-hoi-c-94/ben-tre-hang-tram-nguoi-dan-uat-nghen-vi-hui-75880.html (last checked 18 December 2017).