Female workers have short career span at industrial zones

80% of female workers aged over 35 are leaving employment because of stress, reported by the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions.

80% of female workers aged over 35 are leaving employment

Vu Quang Tho, head of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions, under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, said the unemployment rate of female workers in industrial zone was one of the problems that need to be dealt with.

"It's worrisome that 80% of female workers age over 35 are fired or quit. In some cases, the workers have been with the factories for over 10 years, yet they are fired because of the restructuring or have to quit because of harsh conditions," he said.

According to the survey, 59.6% of female workers age from 35 to 45 said that they resigned because of low pay, 39.1% said it was because of work pressure and 22.6% said they had been fired. The older the workers become, the more likely they will lose their jobs.

Nguyen Toan Phong, director of Hanoi Centre for Employment Service, also commented that over 50% of the unemployed at industrial zones were female. In addition, women age 18 to 35 have more chances to find another job than older people. Phong said in the coming time, they will have more support policies for the female workers, especially women in rural areas or disabled women.

According to some experts on labour, there are many shortcomings in the implementation of support policies for female workers.

These policies are stated in the Labour Law including maternity leaves and early retirement age. However, as women generally have weaker health than men and there are still many prejudices about their roles in the society and at home, the pressure on them is enormous. They either can't bear the pressure and quit or are fired for failing to meet demands at work.