"Young People and Gender": A Journey to Discovering Gender Identity for a Happy Life

What is gender?

Recognizing the importance of disseminating knowledge about gender/sexuality among young people, the Vietnam Women's Publishing House has launched the Gender and Development Book Series.

The library aims to publish research works and a wealth of resources to enhance knowledge about gender and promote gender equality in society.

In addition, the publisher has decided to collaborate with universities and high schools nationwide to organize a series of events titled "Young People and Gender ," starting in October.

Người trẻ và giới: Hành trình tìm thấy bản dạng giới để sống hạnh phúc - 1 — Vietnam Women's Publishing House co-organized the "Young People and Gender" series of events (Photo: Provided by the Publishing House).

According to the Vietnam Women's Publishing House, in today's society, the diverse expressions of gender and sexuality are still new, even quite unfamiliar. Many people, including young people, have misconceptions about gender and sexuality.

"What is gender?" - In response to this question, the publisher explains that, simply put, "gender" refers to the physical differences between males and females. A person is usually assigned a gender at birth based on physiological characteristics, including their reproductive organs and chromosomal composition.

Meanwhile, "gender" relates to societal norms or expectations for individuals, and is linked to culture.

"Gender identity," on the other hand, is how a person perceives themselves, which can be completely different from their birth sex and also different from societal and cultural expectations of them.

"The fact that many young people are still confused and hold many gender stereotypes stems from the fact that gender and sexuality issues have not been given the proper attention. Due to a lack of proper guidance, young people are bewildered and confused by the 'sea of information'," a representative from the publishing house said.

Young people express pride that there have been many improvements in gender/sex issues in Vietnam through a more modern and open society.

However, a misconception is becoming prevalent, which is that gender equality is about "defending women," meaning that women are the primary and sole target of gender equality efforts.

This viewpoint spread into real life, forming a kind of "ideology" that determined the thoughts and actions of many people.

Society, and especially the younger generation, needs to understand correctly that gender equality is not just about equal rights for men and women, but equality for all genders, because society does not consist solely of two genders, but also includes many other genders coexisting together.

So, in the information-rich age, how will young people find their gender identity to live happily with themselves and those around them?

Người trẻ và giới: Hành trình tìm thấy bản dạng giới để sống hạnh phúc - 2 — The series of events provides an opportunity for young people to express their concerns and anxieties about themselves, their families, and society (Photo: Publisher).

Young people and gender

The "Youth and Gender" event series includes a variety of activities, such as public lectures, roundtable discussions, and interactive spaces for students and experts on gender and feminist issues.

The Vietnam Women's Publishing House hopes this will be an opportunity for young people to express their concerns and anxieties about themselves, their families, and society.

Advisory Board of the "Youth and Gender" event series :

Dr. Khuat Thu Hong, founder and director of the Institute for Social Development Studies (ISDS).

Dr. Pham Quoc Loc, Rector of Pacific University.

Dr. Nguyen Bao Thanh Nghi, Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Van Lang University.

Dr. Ho Khanh Van, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh, lecturer at the Faculty of Literature, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education.

Mr. Le Quang Binh, M.Sc., Director of ECUE and Network Coordinator of VGEM (Vietnam Gender Equality Movement).

Mr. Phu Khai Hung, MSc, holds a Master's degree in Anthropology and is currently a researcher at the Southern Institute of Social Sciences (SISS).

The planned themes throughout the "Youth and Gender" event series include:

The world is viewed from different perspectives: from biology to architecture.

Gender dichotomy, diversity, and the LGBTIQ+ community in Vietnam.

The history of feminist movements around the world and the promotion of gender equality in Vietnam.