Odernization Theory and Women's Political Representation

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Modernization Theory and Women’s Political Representation:
A Case Study of Vietnam
By
Cathy Duong

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of
Masters of Globalization and International Development (M.A) in The Faculty of Graduate Studies

University of Ottawa
April 2012

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Abstract
While the proponents of the modernization theory reckon that economic growth leads inevitably to social development and gender equality, authors dealing with conflict and with institutional design suggest that economic growth by itself does not follow an exclusive path. The case of
Vietnam serves to illustrate the shifts in women political representation under different historical stages, namely colonialism, war of independence, civil war, pacification process, and neo-liberal economic reforms. This paper shows that the presence of women in high political office in
Vietnam could be attributed to various factors of which the culture seems to play a paramount role. Male support is paramount, since patriarchal culture is deeply ingrained in the society.
Despite the enforcement of the Doi Moi reform in the eighties, certain features that characterize democracy, such as gender equality in the political sphere, have yet to be achieved. The case of
Vietnam imposes a challenge on modernization theory, since it shows that the relationship between political changes and socio-economic conditions are causal. Empirical analysis is performed with data drawn from the Vietnamese Country Reports and the Inter-Parliamentary
Union Dataset, when available, from 1946 to 2011.

Key words: political representation, gender equality, institutional design, modernization theory, patriarchal culture, Vietnamese women, democracy.

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Table of Contents
Abstract

2

Table of Contents

3

List of Tables and Figure

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Acknowledgements

5

1. Introduction

6

2. Theoretical

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