| Abstract | Societal norms and cultural perceptions play a crucial role in shaping gender inequality in Vietnam. International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) in Vietnam are adopting a range of gender mainstreaming strategies to promote gender equality. Nevertheless, there is a critical gap in understanding how INGOs\' female staff internalize, negotiate, and challenge these roles through processes of gender socialization in their professional and personal lives. The main objective of this study is to explore how family and INGO work environments interact as sites of gender socialization to shape the process that the female workers negotiate and enact their household gender roles, and broader gender equality attitudes within their immediate social circles. This study used the qualitative methodology, conducting 10 semi structured in-depth interviews and 3 key informant interviews across 4 INGOs in Vietnam. The method triangulation, which engaged the literature review, In-depth interviews, and Key Informant Interviews to ensure the research’s credibility. A significant finding of this study is that the gender socialization of female INGO staff is not a linear process; rather, it is a complex interplay between internalization and reflexivity, through which gender-equal values are gradually transmitted to others. At the early stage - tertiary education, female staff began developing gender awareness while navigating tensions with traditional Vietnamese family practices, shifting from passive acceptance toward active reflection. Within the INGO workplaces, they further expanded both their understanding of and engagement with gender equality; yet, persistent hidden biases continue to limit institutional efforts in this area. Within the household, gender roles are neither simply adopted nor rejected but continuously negotiated through relationships and everyday practices. The data reveal that gender transformation results from a combination of multiple factors, including prior experience, institutional exposure, and relational dynamics. Finally, the broadening of perceptions and attitudes toward gender equality does not occur through direct transmission, but rather through daily interactions that are relational, negotiated, and at times constrained. In this way, gender norms are continuously interpreted, contested, and reworked. This study offers a deeper understanding of how female INGO workers undergo gender socialization across multiple sites, negotiating gender roles within the home while also spreading gender-equal values to those in their close social circles.The findings reveal significant connections among these sites of gender socialization and the strategies that workers continually develop, contributing to the broader challenge posed by traditional gender norms and hierarchies. |
