Gender assessment in natural resource use and management and environmental protection in Vietnam : a case study in Soc Son district

Abstract

Efficient and environmentally sound use of natural resources is one of the most significant factors influencing the sustainable development of a country. It has also been internationally recognized that women play a key role in most aspects of sustainable development. This thesis examines the use and management of natural resources and environment in two rural communities: Do Luong and Do Tan villages, Bac Son Commune, Soc Son district, Hanoi City.

On the basis of community-based research and secondary sources, the author has studied the different roles of men and women in natural resource use and management. By analyzing the gender division of labour in the research areas, the question of gender equity and its relations to women's subordination and oppression to men is raised and addressed. The thesis claims that women's empowerment is a key to enabling sustainable development in the research areas. Finally, the thesis attempts to make a contribution to gender equitable sustainable development in the area studied as well as to the international literature on this topic.