Feminist theory and the legal guarantees of women’s political rights in Vietnam nowadays

Abstract

International conventions of human rights have always recognized that all human beings are born free, equal in dignity and rights, without distinction of any kind, whether men or women, boys or girls. But in fact over the centuries, discrimination against women still exists in many parts of the world. Although they are a vulnerable group that suffers many disadvantages in terms of health, education, training, employment opportunities, participation in social management as well as other needs and consequently, requires attention and protection, women are not recognized and treated equally in proportion to their contribution to the welfare of the family and the development of society. Therefore, in human history, there have been many movements to fight for women's rights. Typically, the feminist movement - a socio-political movement to affirm and fight for women's rights- flourished in the West in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This movement aimed to abolish the domination of the bourgeois state over women and promote the role of women in social life and was the basis for the formation of feminist theory with very rich and diverse content. It was the diversity of feminist theory that formed the various interpretations of the origin of oppression against women, set out the goals of eliminating inequality for women, and proposed a sufficient path to women’s liberation in the sectors of politics, economy, society, family, and personality. Consequently, it has a significant impact on the guarantee of gender equality in countries all around the world, especially in the political sector. In Vietnam, over the last few years, the Vietnamese Party and State have always affirmed their support for the policy of gender equality in all areas of society, which can be reflected via the promulgation of specific policies, laws, and actual action programs. However, the enforcement of law demonstrates the existence of great inequality between men and women, especially in the political field. By virtue of recognizing the role of feminist theory in social life, this article delves into the content of feminist theory as well as the relationship between feminist theory and legal guarantees of women's political rights. Besides, this article also mentions the practices of legal guarantees of women’s political rights in Vietnam, applies the perspectives of feminist theory in identifying the barriers and challenges in legal guarantees of women’s political rights, which serve as a ground for offering suitable solutions to improve the effectiveness of legal guarantees of women’s political rights, contributing to the successful implementation of the Third Millennium Goal “Strengthening gender equality and empowering women”.