(Photo: phunukontum.org.vn)

The forum called “Womenwill – Women in industrial revolution 4.0” took place in Hanoi on Wednesday. Womenwill is a Google initiative to create economic opportunities for women. It promotes gender equality and helps women acquire technology skills, get inspired, and connect with each other through trainings, events, and advocacy.

Female entrepreneurs helped to share information, get inspired

At the forum, Google experts invited female entrepreneurs to share their stories about women’s role in the 4^th industrial revolution. Phạm Đức Nghiệm, deputy head of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development, said although businesses owned by women account for only 21% of all small and medium-sized enterprises, they make an important contribution to Vietnam’s economic growth. Nghiem called for more incentives for women’s start-ups: “The Ministry of Science and Technology prioritizes a start-up ecosystem for 3 groups of targets. The first is support for creating products which make female work less labor-intensive and promotes gender equality. The second is support for innovative projects owned by women. The third is support for innovative projects or businesses which involve a large number of women.”

Measures to help women overcome barriers

Experts at the forum said that the 4^th Industrial Revolution is creating opportunities and challenges for micro and small businesses, many of which are owned and managed by women. Female entrepreneurs were asked to take the initiative in accessing technology and building long-term development strategies in order to catch up with the trend. Labor-intensive work in industries like garments and textiles, leather footwear, and seafood processing can be replaced by automation. The forum outlined solutions to help female entrepreneurs meet challenges and avoid being left behind.