The Impact of Social Change on Vietnamese Families

Rukmalie Jayakody, Pennsylvania State University
Vu Tuan Huy, University of Washington

Vietnam has experienced dramatic changes during the past century, including prolonged periods of war, socialist collectivization, political reunification, a shift from a centrally-planned to a market-based economy, and an extensive opening to the outside world. Major policy initiatives designed to affect basic aspects of family life, including marriage, gender relations, and family size, have also been adopted. This research focuses on the impact of these social changes on family behavior, particularly marriage, living arrangements, and the division of household labor. We use data from the Vietnam Surveys of Family Change, a representative sample of three marital cohorts that correspond to major historical periods—the war years, the years following the country’s reunification, and the year following the passage of renovation policies. Data are available from both north and south, allowing a comparison between these two regions that, until recently, experienced different governments and social and economic conditions.