Vietnam hosts workshop on empowering women in the care economy

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with UN Women and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, hosted an international workshop focused on empowering women within the care economy. The event aims to inform policy priorities for the 2027 APEC High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy.

A central theme of the workshop was redefining care work as essential economic infrastructure rather than merely a domestic burden. Experts noted that care services—such as childcare, eldercare, and healthcare—function similarly to roads or telecommunications by enabling the broader labor market to operate.

In Vietnam, women perform an average of 15.5 hours of unpaid care work per week, compared to 8.75 hours for men. While this sector is estimated to represent up to 20% of the GDP, its economic value remains largely unrecorded. Discussions highlighted the potential for women entrepreneurs to lead within this emerging care economy.