We examine the extent of change in gender relations within the Vietnamese family in the Red River Delta over the last four decades. During this time socialist policies emphasized gender equality although recent commentators speculate about negative effects of the transition to the market economy. Data come from a survey of three cohorts married during periods corresponding to the war with America, reunification, and economic renovation and permit comparisons of the situation at the early stages of their marriages. Overall our findings suggest that continuity rather than change characterizes domestic gender roles across the cohorts. Overwhelmingly, wives took primary responsibility for common household chores. There is increased involvement of husbands in household budget management and modest increase in sharing of childrearing responsibility. Still, despite over a half century of socialist policies, considerable gender inequality in domestic domains is still the rule. The evidence does not, however, support claims that renovation has increased the inequality.
This study examines marital sexual activity in relation to age and its significance for marital relationships in Vietnam with particular attention to older persons. Results are compared with Thailand and the US. Two regional surveys provide the first quantitative assessment of marital sex in Vietnam. As elsewhere, marital sexual activity declines with age. At older ages, substantial proportions of married Vietnamese are sexually inactive. Levels of activity among older Vietnamese and Thais are remarkably similar and substantially lower than in the US. Contrary to US studies, the frequency of sexual activity shows little relationship to marital satisfaction and harmony in Vietnam. Possible explanations for these differences are discussed in terms of biases in the data, differences in health and living arrangements, and societal, cultural and normative contexts. We speculate that a main reason underlying the differences is a lesser societal emphasis on sex in general and on the importance of sexual and physical intimacy in marital relationships in Vietnam and Thailand than in the US.
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