Gender income inequality among Vietnamese informal workers in the context of Covid-19
Main Article Content
Abstract
The paper examines gender income inequality of informal workers in the context of Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam through the Theil’s L index, using The Labor Force Survey by the General Statistics Office for the first three quarters of 2021. The results indicate that gender income inequality triggers informal workers' income inequality. Furthermore, males are proved to contribute more to income inequality among informal workers. In addition, results after utilizing the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method show that personal, labor-employment and geographical characteristics are factors breeding informal workers’ gender income inequality. Based on the findings, the authors propose several suggestions to equilibrate their income distribution and lessen the gender income inequality of informal workers.
Keywords:
Covid-19, Informal workers, Gender income inequality
References
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Vu Cuong and Pham Van Van (2013). Public Economy. National Economics University Publisher, Hanoi.
Vu Hoang Ngan, Nghiem Thi Ngoc Bich (2021). Impact of time spent on housework on gender gap in Vietnam’s labor market, Journal of Economics and Development, 290 (2), 2-11.
Xue, J. et al. (2014). Informal employment and its effect on the income distribution in urban China. China Economic Review, 31, 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2014.07.012.
Zuo, H. (2016). How does informal employment impact income inequality? Applied Economics Letters, 23(15), 1117-1120. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2016.1142644.
Angel-Urdinola, D. F., & Tanabe, K. (2012). Micro-determinants of informal employment in the Middle East and North Africa region. SP Discussion Paper No. 1201. World Bank, Washington, DC. 1021 (2012).
Bravo, R. (2003). The Millennium Goals and Gender Equity: The Case of Peru. ECLAC Women and Development Unit/UNIFEM Andean Region.
Carr, M., & Chen, M. (2004). Globalization, Social Exclusion and Work with Special Reference to Informal Employment and Gender. Policy Integration Department, 20, 1-37. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.908166.
Dang, H. A. H., & Nguyen, C. V. (2021). Gender inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic: Income, expenditure, savings, and job loss. World Development, 140, 105296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105296
De Maio, F. G. (2007). Income inequality measures. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 61(10), 849-852. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2006.052969.
Du, Y. et al. (2008). Marketization and/or informalization? New trends of china’s employment in transition. Institute of Population and Labor Economics Chinese, 1-46.
General Statistics Office of Vietnam (2021). Labour and employment survey report in the first quarter of 2021.
GSO & ILO (2018). The 2016 Report on Informal Employment in Vietnam,
Herrera-Serna, B. Y. et al. (2019). Relationship between the human development index and its components with oral cancer in Latin. America. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 9(4), 223. https://dx.doi.org/10.2991%2Fjegh.k.191105.001
International Labor Organization (2018). Women still less likely to be active in the labor market than men in most of the world.
International Labour Organization (2021). Informal employment in Viet Nam: Trends and determinants.
International Labour Organization. Equality and discrimination in Viet Nam.
Komin, W. et al. (2021). COVID-19 and its impact on informal sector workers: A case study of Thailand. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 31(1-2), 80-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185385.2020.1832564
Le Bao Lam et al. (2010). Gender inequality in informal workers’ income in Vietnam. University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.
Lukiyanova, A. (2015). Earnings inequality and informal employment in Russia. Economics of Transition, 23(2), 469-516. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ecot.12069
Lund, F., & Nicholson, J. (2003). Chains of production, ladders of protection: Social protection for workers in the informal economy. School of Development Studies, University of Natal.
Maloney, W. F. (1999). Does informality imply segmentation in urban labor markets? Evidence from sectoral transitions in Mexico. The World Bank Economic Review, 13(2), 275-302. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/13.2.275
Mehrotra, S. (2009). The impact of the economic crisis on the informal sector and poverty in East Asia. Global Social Policy, 9(1_suppl), 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1468018109106887.
Memiş, E., and Toksöz, G. (2020). Gender inequalities in informal employment and wage gap in Turkish manufacturing. Ekonomik Yaklasim. 31(114), 39-71.
Mincer, J. (1997). The production of human capital and the life cycle of earnings: Variations on a theme. Journal of Labor Economics, 15(1, Part 2), S26-S47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2016.1142644
Nguyen Duy Loi et al. (2014). Employment, income and social protection for female informal workers in Vietnam, EADN. 84.
Nguyen Thai Hoa (2017). Gender inequality in Vietnamese labour’ s income. Vietnam Social Sciences, 6(226), 10-24.
Omobowale, A. O. et al. (2020). Contextual reflections on COVID-19 and informal workers in Nigeria. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-05-2020-0150
Oxfam (2017). Bridging the gap: Reducing inequality in Vietnam together, Labor and Social Publisher Company Limited.
Ruzik, A., & Rokicka, M. (2010). The gender pay gap in informal employment in Poland. CASE Network Studies and Analyses, (406). https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1674939
Saco, M. A. C. et al. (2022). Gender Inequity: Older Workers and the Gender Labor Income Gap in Peru. Social Inclusion, 10(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v10i1.4783
Søbjerg, L. M. (2012). The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite. Tidsskrift for Professionsstudier, 16(31), 150-153.
Sokolovska, V. et al. (2015, March). Measuring social inequality: Comparison of Gini coefficient and Theil index. All in One Conferences (p. 96).
To Hao (2018). Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Vulnerable female workers in informal sectors.
Van Nhi (2018). Gender inequality and employment opportunities, General Office for Population and Family Planning.
Vu Cuong and Pham Van Van (2013). Public Economy. National Economics University Publisher, Hanoi.
Vu Hoang Ngan, Nghiem Thi Ngoc Bich (2021). Impact of time spent on housework on gender gap in Vietnam’s labor market, Journal of Economics and Development, 290 (2), 2-11.
Xue, J. et al. (2014). Informal employment and its effect on the income distribution in urban China. China Economic Review, 31, 84-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2014.07.012.
Zuo, H. (2016). How does informal employment impact income inequality? Applied Economics Letters, 23(15), 1117-1120. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2016.1142644.