Việt Nam’s banks need more women leaders to promote inclusive and high-productivity growth

However, many banks did not know how to make the effort to create a more gender equal workforce and leadership team. “Promoting gender equality and women’s representation in leadership positions is important to the State Bank of Việt Nam. Based on surveys of nearly 40,000 employees from banks as well as sit-down interviews with senior and middle bank managers, the study also showed women wanted better support for work-life balance. “Lack of gender diversity in leadership in the banking sector is a persistent problem globally,” said Thomas Jacobs, IFC Country Manager for Việt Nam, Cambodia and Laos. “While Việt Nam is doing better than some other countries in terms of women in bank management, this report clearly shows more should be done to turn commitments into practical steps, enabling women to move into leadership positions.