Unilever Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in driving gender equality

The mission of “making sustainable living commonnplace” is reflected in not only Unilever Vietnam’s corporate sustainable development programmes but also our purpose-led, future-fit brands’ initiatives. Gender equality has been a social commitment that brands at Unilever have focused on throughout the years.

Unilever Vietnam receiving the 2021 WEPs Awards in the Gender-responsive Marketplace category proves our brands’ ceaseless efforts in the women’s empowerment journey through economically empowering women with Sunlight’s campaign “Women do business”, inspiring young girls to follow their careers with Sunsilk’s “Dream too good to hold back” campaign, and accompanying women to smash appearance stereotypes and build confidence with Dove’s “My hair, my say”.

Unilever Vietnam’s representative (centre) received the award at the 2021 WEPs Awards

“At Unilever, we strive to break the 'glass ceiling' and eliminate all the invisible barriers to women’s progress. Women’s empowerment is always embedded in our sustainability agenda to drive gender equality and create a new ‘Generation of Equality’, where each woman and girl has the freedom to realise all of her rights – from creating and leading the life they wish to live and pursuing education or business to having a seat at the table in important decisions in their families and society,” said Trinh Mai Phuong, vice president of Human Resources at Unilever Vietnam.

Unilever Vietnam has always been promoting gender equality through women’s empowerment activities, aiming to empower one million Vietnamese women to achieve more in life in the next five years through three key pillars:

• Expanding economic opportunities for women;
• Enhancing women’s status at workplace and pursuit of professional career;
• Dispelling harmful stereotypes besetting females’ achievements,

Not only do these efforts help Unilever Vietnam deliver the corporate commitment towards gender equity and positively contribute to UNDP’s SDG5, but they also give hands to implement other sustainable development goals including improving people’s health and wellbeing, and raising living standards.

Purpose-led, future-fit brands as a force for gender equality

At Unilever Vietnam, we are always applying a gender lens to our community programmes, marketing, and advertising activities.

Since 2020, Sunlight’s “Women do business” campaign, in a collaboration with Vietnam Women’s Union, bears the mission to inspire and facilitate Vietnamese women in rural, semi-urban, and disadvantaged areas to pursue their dreams of being self-employed, entrepreneurial, and active in their life.

Until now, the programme has inspired and helped over 2,000 women across the country’s 10 cities and provinces to confidently do business through training courses. We have also cooperated with Google to launch online training programmes which have reached over 30,000 participants. Particularly, more than 300 startup projects have been introduced and financially supported. We look forward to expanding the programme to 12 cities and provinces in the period from the fourth quarter of 2021 to 2022.

“Women do business” campaign from Unilever Vietnam and Sunlight

Sunsilk is another purposeful brand at Unilever Vietnam, contributing to the gender equality journey with the campaign “Dream too good to hold back”. This promotes living life to the fullest, with passion and enthusiasm, encouraging and supporting young women to determine and pursue their dreams without hesitation regardless of harmful stereotypes and social norms.

Through media activities, inspirational stories and social media discussions, the project has motivated over 11 million Vietnamese young girls to gain confidence to pursue their career. Especially, the project has garnered significant success with over 7.5 million views on YouTube with the story of Dieu Thuy, a young woman from Quang Tri province, who has realised and conquered her dream of becoming a pilot.

Besides, Dove’s “My hair, my say” campaign also contributes to the whole picture of gender equality with purpose-led brands at Unilever. The campaign aims to empower women through eliminating beauty stereotypes and encouraging body confidence.

With a response of over 400 videos by the women across the country, together with Dove, women have smashed down the constraints imposed upon hair beauty. Aimed towards greater gender equality, Dove’s project has inspired 11.4 million Vietnamese women to come forward and express their individualism and be confident to be the people they aspire to be.