National Identity and Gender Identities

“Imagined” national identities are linked with gender identities, and vice versa. Images of national identity shape the ways in which citizens are expected to perform gendered roles, and gendered identities help to shape and distinguish specific national identities. Gender equality is constitutionally guaranteed in Vietnam since 1945. Different legal and social norms encourage the equal treatment of women and men in all domains of life. Against this background, we examine how female and male roles are specified in a variety of social settings in Vietnam, and in particular in family settings. We show how gendered expectations continue to exist in many domains. Although the EFL textbooks depict at times rather progressive images of Vietnam, our analyses also show that men are often presented in ways that give them individuality and autonomy. While women and men are depicted as fulfilling domestic duties, women take up more domestic chores than men. Women have to “excel at work, [and] be perfect at home” (Giỏi việc nước – Đảm việc nhà). Our analyses of the EFL textbooks illustrate that this double responsibility imposes a double burden on modern women in Vietnam and therefore also stands in the way of women’s empowerment.