On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925 - June 21, 2025), the Vietnam Women's Union in collaboration with the Vietnam Journalists Association organized a national scientific conference with the theme "Women with 100 years of Vietnam Revolutionary Press", aiming to honor the important contributions of women and women's journalism throughout the development of revolutionary journalism.
From the important role of the press in gender equality…
At the Workshop, in the presentation “Gender perspective on press products”, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of the Center for Applied Science Research on Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), mentioned the importance of the press for gender equality and social progress related to gender equality.
Specifically, the press plays a role in promoting gender equality by shaping social awareness by conveying fair and comprehensive information on gender issues, contributing to changing stereotypes, raising awareness and respect for the rights of women and vulnerable groups. The press also reflects gender-related issues in a multi-dimensional and fair manner.
At the same time, the press pioneers in promoting progressive views of society by introducing and spreading progressive ideas and modern perspectives on life; thereby better understanding positive changes, encouraging people to work together towards a civilized, fair and sustainably developed society.
Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, member of the Party Central Committee, President of the Vietnam Women's Union emphasized: "Looking back at the history of the country's press, from the first pages of newspapers such as Nu Gioi Chung (1919) edited by Ms. Suong Nguyet Anh - to Tieng goi phu nu (1945), Phu nu Viet Nam (1948), Phu nu Thanh ho Chi Minh (1975), Phu nu Thu do (1986)... the women's press has always accompanied, reflected, led and encouraged the cause of liberation and development of Vietnamese women through each historical period. During the great resistance wars of the nation as well as the renovation period, generations of women and the people of the whole country, under the leadership of the Party, have made brilliant milestones. They are journalists who both fulfill their responsibility to the press and "fuel" and encourage revolutionary movements, including the women's movement. Today, in response to the requirements of a professional press, women's journalism has always been a part of the national press, reflecting, leading and encouraging the liberation and development of Vietnamese women through each historical period. "In order to become professional, modern and humane, it is necessary to research and evaluate the role of journalism from a gender perspective."
“The press today reflects the image of modern, dynamic, creative and decisive women in many fields. These images inspire young women about women's success, confidence and willingness to assert themselves. In addition, the press plays a pioneering role as an honest information channel, a mouthpiece of the Party, State and People, and a pioneer in presenting new and challenging views on gender. The press also propagates and breaks down traditional gender stereotypes, erasing the image of women only associated with housework, instead introducing the image of dynamic, decisive women, actively communicating about gender equality, bringing easily accessible gender equality knowledge to the community,” Ms. Nguyen Van Anh emphasized.
Having knowledge about gender; no gender stereotypes, prejudices and being gender sensitive - these are the 3 recommendations that Ms. Nguyen Van Anh made that journalists in the new era need to equip themselves with. “Gender stereotypes are ideal images of masculinity or femininity used to perceive a person based on a simple synthesis of the attributes of the group, of the gender to which that person belongs. Gender sensitivity is the awareness of the different needs, roles and responsibilities of men and women; understanding where those differences come from and how these differences can lead to differences in the level of participation, contribution, enjoyment and development of each gender. Gender stereotypes are biased, negative perceptions, attitudes and assessments of the characteristics, positions, roles and abilities of men or women,” Ms. Nguyen Van Anh analyzed.
Issues facing female journalism in the digital age
Discussing this issue, Dr. Lieu Chi Trung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Lawyer Magazine, pointed out that in the history of the development of Vietnam's revolutionary press, the birth and development of women's newspapers played a very important role in society. It was not only the formation of one of the "channels" of information referring to women, providing a diverse and suitable source of knowledge for women, helping women express their views, opinions, and expressions, but also creating a more balanced situation and access to information for women, implementing gender equality in society. According to statistics from the Vietnam Journalists Association, by mid-2023, the whole country had more than 21,200 members, of which women accounted for over 40%. Reality proves that female reporters and journalists are not only limited to women's issues, but there are many sharp writers with voices in the fields of economics, politics and society.
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A guide at the Vietnam Journalism Museum introduces “Nu gioi chung” – the first newspaper for women, opening the way for women’s newspapers in Vietnam. (Photo: PNVN Newspaper/Tuan Dung) |
According to Dr. Lieu Chi Trung, in the context of strong digital transformation, the press in general and women's newspapers in particular are facing fundamental changes in thinking, organization methods, publishing processes and public access models. Readers today not only read but also interact, share, create content and respond multi-dimensionally on many platforms. This forces women's newspapers to simultaneously perform many tasks: preserving identity, innovating content, modernizing technology to avoid falling behind in the context of fierce competition from social networks, digital content platforms and the trend of personalizing information.
“For women’s newspapers in Vietnam, although they have affirmed their position, in addition to opportunities, they also face many challenges in the digital age. Due to many reasons, although the system of press agencies in our country is considered to have developed strongly, women have their own press agencies with different types of press, but not all women’s newspapers are only for women and all press information is welcomed by women. Therefore, how to present the press to be attractive and bring value to women is not easy. Even though women can undertake all the positions and tasks like men, not all of their products are for women and are of interest to and awaited by women,” according to Dr. Lieu Chi Trung.
Presenting some solutions to enhance the role of female journalism and women journalists in the digital age, Dr. Lieu Chi Trung said that in order for female journalism to develop sustainably, effectively promote its social role and be suitable for gender characteristics in the digital age, there needs to be a system of synchronous, comprehensive and practical solutions in many aspects.
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Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of the Center for Research and Application of Science on Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents. |
Specifically, it is necessary to continue to improve and promote propaganda and awareness of the role and position of women in society in general and women's journalism in particular; there should be policies to ensure gender equality rights and opportunities in a substantive and complete manner; for press management agencies, it is necessary to increase attention to directing, orienting and creating conditions and support to maintain and promote the activities of women's press agencies, the content of activities related to women as well as the role of women in journalism; for women's press agencies and journalism about women, it is necessary to closely follow the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, the management agencies, and research to have appropriate development strategies in the new period; for women in journalism and journalists about women, in the digital age, women in journalism and journalists about women need to clearly define their roles and responsibilities towards the social community to have clear thoughts and career orientations. In addition, it is necessary to equip oneself with the necessary psychological factors, knowledge, and skills to perform one's role well in the face of professional requirements as well as pressures that may arise at any time from public opinion, readers, or social networks. Journalists, in addition to their passion for their profession, need to master multimedia journalism, technology, and have in-depth understanding of a field. For women journalists, especially women's journalism, it is necessary to arrange and adjust to harmonize family, social, and work relationships. In addition, it is necessary to avoid being self-conscious, overly emotional, or carrying prejudices, which will make things difficult for themselves and the press agency.
“In addition, for female newspapers to have the opportunity to develop and effectively demonstrate their role in the digital age, there needs to be the participation and support of agencies, organizations, journalists and readers. That is the understanding, appropriate mechanisms, orientation and facilitation of management agencies for female newspapers in the new situation,” emphasized Dr. Lieu Chi Trung.
On June 19, 2025, at the National Press Forum, an in-depth discussion session on “Female leaders in journalism: Women's voices in news management” took place. Information shows that although the number of female journalists is increasing in both quality and quantity, their potential has not been fully exploited. The proportion of female members in the Vietnam Journalists Association accounts for more than 40%, but to date there has not been a female leader holding the position of Vice President of the Association or higher; the number of female editors-in-chief is also quite modest compared to the total number of female journalists. According to journalist Phan Thanh Phong - Head of the Special Topics Department, Nhan Dan Newspaper, Vice President of the Nhan Dan Newspaper Journalists Association: “Frankly speaking, the proportion of women in senior press leadership roles is still too modest compared to the potential. Many talented female journalists still hesitate to step into management positions - because of the double burden between family and work, because of the smoldering gender prejudices in management, and sometimes because of the lack of opportunities to access modern management skills in the digital environment”.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/phu-nu-voi-100-nam-bao-chi-cach-mang-viet-nam-post552445.html
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