A recent survey done by the Department of Female Workers at the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour revealed that many female workers are less keen on marriage and having children due to low wages and difficult lives.

Female workers have borne the brunt of badly-planned economic zones

The survey ran from June 2015 with 1,500 workers at various industrial zones in nine cities and provinces including Hanoi, HCM City, Dong Nai, Can Tho, Danang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Bac Ninh and Vinh Phuc questioned.

By the end of 2015, Vietnam had 212 industrial zones with over 2.4 million workers of which 60% to 70% are immigrant women. Statistics showed that 79.1% of asked workers did not have savings, 38.2% feared illness due to the cost, 29.2% worried about unstable jobs and 47.5% said their living standards weren’t sufficiently good enough to have children. Single mothers and higher abortion rates are prevalent among these workers.

They also have to face constant sexual harassment with 44.7% said they had been harassed near their houses or workplaces.

Tran Thu Phuong, representative of the union of industrial zones in Hanoi, said the average wages of the workers are VND4m (USD181) to VND5m a month. As most of the workers are from other provinces and cities, a lot of their income was spent on rent.

Low wage and difficult life have prevented many people from finding their life partners. Those already married have had to spend money wisely and sparsely as they have to take extra shifts just to pay for basic necessities.

"Extra shifts mean free meals at the factories, extra money and less water and electricity usage at their rented home," said Bui Phuong Chi, head of the Department of Female Workers at the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

But extra shifts also means less time for socialising and meeting new people. Many female workers said they wanted relationships but didn't want to get married or have kids. Those who have children have to send the children to live with their grandparents.

Many people voiced concern that low living standards not only affects the physical health of people working in the industrial zones but also have a negative effect on people’s live experiences and mental health. Bad planning of the industrial zones and overwhelmingly female employment has drastically affected the livelihoods and expectations of female workers.