Ha Dong - Building Gender Equality from the Roots

In Ha Dong ward, efforts to eliminate gender stereotypes and bring the sex ratio at birth back to a natural balance are being built by the dedication of grassroots health and population officials – those who "go door to door" to sow the seeds of gender equality...

Many forms of gender equality awareness campaigns have been effectively implemented in Ha Dong ward. (Photo: PV)

The problem of gender imbalance at birth

Statistical data on population at the commune level for the first 10 months of 2025 (from January to October) from the Ha Dong Ward Health Station (Hanoi City) paints a thought-provoking picture. Of the 1,627 children born in the area, 861 were boys and 766 were girls. Thus, the sex ratio at birth is 112 boys per 100 girls, exceeding the balanced level of 104-106 boys per 100 girls.

This figure is not just mere statistical data, but a wake-up call about the increasingly complex gender imbalance at birth, demanding immediate and coordinated action from the entire local political system.

To solve the problem, the first step is to look directly at the root cause. In Ha Dong ward, through practical analysis, the gender imbalance at birth did not arise naturally, but is the result of the confluence of many complex interwoven factors between tradition and modernity.

According to experts, the most fundamental cause is the persistent influence of feudal ideology. Despite modern society, the mentality of "preferring sons over daughters" still lingers in the thinking of a significant portion of the population. The pressure to have a son to "continue the family lineage," to worship ancestors, or to "provide for old age" still weighs heavily on many couples, especially in families heavily influenced by the traditional family model.

Furthermore, the downside of scientific and technological development is that advancements in medicine are actually contributing to this imbalance. Access to ultrasound services and early fetal sex determination is becoming increasingly easy and widespread. This facilitates prenatal sex selection, resulting in a higher-than-natural rate of male births.

Furthermore, in modern society, economic pressure and the demand for high-quality child-rearing lead many young couples to decide to have only one or two children. Because of this limited number of children and small family size, the desire to have both sons and daughters, or the pressure to have a son in such a small family, becomes even stronger. They seek every means to influence the sex ratio, leading to a distortion in the gender structure.

In particular, there is still a lack of knowledge about gender equality and children's rights within the community. The right of girls to be born and grow up is not yet fully respected in the awareness of a segment of the population.

If left unchecked, the consequences of this imbalance will be extremely serious and long-lasting for generations. The "surplus of males, shortage of females" will lead to millions of adult men facing the risk of being unable to marry. This is especially true for men in rural areas or those with low economic status, who will find it difficult to find a partner, leading to consequences such as late marriages or an increased trend of marrying foreigners, altering the traditional Vietnamese family structure. Gender imbalance will disrupt the population structure, directly impacting future human resources and creating a significant burden on the elderly care system.

Every citizen is an advocate for gender equality.

In response to these "telling" figures, the People's Committee of Ha Dong Ward issued Plan No. 91/KH-UBND. According to Nguyen Huu Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Dong Ward, this plan is the "backbone" for all activities to control gender imbalance at birth in the last six months of 2025, with a systematic roadmap and comprehensive solutions.

Based on this plan, the ward assigned specific tasks to each unit. Accordingly, the public address system was activated to all residential areas in the ward with concise, easy-to-understand messages about the value of girls and gender equality. Furthermore, communication efforts were intensified on social media.

The Fanpages of the health station, the ward's electronic information portal, and hundreds of Zalo groups of residential groups, women's associations, veterans' associations, etc., continuously update articles, images, and video clips about the consequences of sex selection of fetuses. Modern media products such as minigames and "real-life" stories with the message "all children are equal" have created a strong ripple effect, directly impacting emotions and gradually changing the mindset of a segment of the population.

Ha Dong Ward conducted a communication campaign on protecting and caring for the reproductive health of adolescents and young people at Le Loi High-Quality Secondary School.

According to Truong Ky Phong, head of the Ha Dong Ward Health Station: “The population of Ha Dong Ward is currently 226,191 people, so the implementation process is very challenging. However, we recognize that each family is a cell of society, so the ward's population officers implement a 'door-to-door' strategy. Individual and household counseling activities are intensified, focusing on couples of childbearing age, pregnant women, and especially families with only daughters who are under pressure to have a son.”

In addition, the "Community Population Advisory Team" model is regularly maintained at the cultural centers of 115 residential areas, creating the most favorable conditions for people to access information and have their questions about reproductive health answered.

A highlight of gender equality efforts in Ha Dong ward is the close cooperation with schools. The health station has integrated adolescent reproductive health care and sex education into extracurricular activities. A prime example is the recent counseling session for over 1,200 students at Le Loi High-Quality Secondary School. Here, students not only gained scientific knowledge about puberty and self-protection skills but also developed a correct understanding of their self-worth, helping girls confidently pursue their dreams and boys learn to respect women. This is how Ha Dong ward is preparing a future generation of civilized and equal citizens.

In parallel, the health station also coordinated with the ward's Culture and Social Affairs Department to inspect private obstetric clinics, reminding and disseminating legal information about the strict prohibition of examinations, tests, and interventions to select the sex of the fetus; and supervising clinical activities at private medical facilities...

To ensure the effectiveness of population outreach workers' outreach efforts, the ward's health station places great emphasis on professional and technical training. Accordingly, the ward's population and health officials receive in-depth training on gender, gender equality, and controlling gender imbalance at birth. In these training courses, these core presenters are equipped with a solid foundation of knowledge. This includes clearly distinguishing between socially determined "gender" and naturally determined "biological sex," as well as identifying subtle manifestations of gender inequality in the family, school, and workplace environments.

The training course went beyond theory; officials were given hands-on guidance on essential soft skills for mass mobilization work, such as storytelling skills to evoke emotions and increase persuasiveness when approaching people; how to psychologically connect with specific target groups such as pregnant women, men - the breadwinners of the family, or influential figures in the clan... Presenters were also guided on how to leverage the power of digital technology, using infographics and social media to spread messages quickly and widely.

Managing a vast area with the largest population in the capital city is a considerable challenge. However, with a strong sense of responsibility, the team of health and population workers and population collaborators in the 115 residential areas persevere through difficulties. They remain steadfast in their work, adhering to the motto "going to every alley, knocking on every door, and checking every individual."

Speaking with a reporter from HanoiMoi Newspaper while diligently reviewing child statistics, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (Ha Tri 1 residential group) - a population collaborator in Ha Dong ward - said that although the work is arduous, there is also joy in that hardship. "Some people who meet me again after 5 or 7 years still thank me because, thanks to the advice of population collaborators like us, their families are peaceful and there are no longer conflicts about whether to have a boy or a girl - as long as the children are raised well and become good people, both girls and boys are equally precious," Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong said.

The greatest success of Ha Dong ward at this time is the shift in awareness within the political system. Here, population work is no longer solely the responsibility of the health sector but has become a shared concern of the Party Committee, the People's Committee, and political and social organizations. The campaign to reduce gender imbalance at birth has been included in the annual work program.

Looking towards the future, Ha Dong ward aims for every citizen to be an advocate for gender equality – so that every family is happy, and every child is born safely and fairly. This is the motto that guides Ha Dong ward in its efforts to build an environment where people are placed at the center of development.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ha-dong-kien-tao-binh-dang-gioi-tu-goc-re-726223.html