LocationsInvesting in Women Leaders Means Investing in Effective Governance in the AI Era
March 7, 2026
As published on VnEconomy on 8 March 2026
1. Madam, from your perspective as a female leader within the United Nations system, what are the biggest barriers preventing women from advancing to senior policy-making positions: gender bias, institutional structures, or competency assessment mechanisms?
It is rarely one factor that prevents women from being considered for leadership positions. Rather research shows that it is the intersection of persistent and multiple barriers that are at play including gender stereotypes and institutional constraints. Addressing these barriers requires strengthening leadership pipelines, such as the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) to support more inclusive leadership development in the public sector, while strengthening institutional incentives and accountability mechanisms within public institutions. In governance surveys, including those led by UNDP, we see how stereotypes affect results with voters systematically expressing lower confidence in the effectiveness of women in politics as compared with their male counterparts.
When we consider institutional constraints, we see that the nomination and promotion pathways to leadership frequently do not favor women candidates, particularly at commune and subnational levels. UNDP-supported studies highlight a narrowing leadership pipeline, with declining numbers of women in Party Committees and People’s Committees at local levels. There are just fewer opportunities for women to hold key positions and advance to higher levels.
Tracking gender equality progress against national targets is also hindered by the lack of consistent database and monitoring tools.
We know that women make up more than 50 percent of Viet Nam’s population, and Vietnamese women aged 15 and above are reported to account for more than 70 percent of the country’s labour force. Their representation in decision‑making bodies should reflect this demographic reality. Decision-making bodies must reflect societal realities for them to be effective.
Inclusive leadership is not solely a women’s issue; it is a national development imperative. Achieving national targets on women’s political participation requires collective action, coordinated efforts, and sustained commitment from multiple actors, including the Party, the Government, mass organizations, and society at large.
2. Viet Nam is often recognized for its high rate of women’s participation in the labour force, yet the proportion of women in senior leadership positions in the public sector remains limited. In your view, what is the key policy “bottleneck” that needs to be addressed?
According to the recent World Bank report, not a single country in the world provides women with the same opportunities as men in the workforce, though compared with other countries in the region, Viet Nam has one of the highest rates of women’s labour force participation. At the same time women are not adequately represented in the fora where key decisions are made, as much in the public as in the private sector.
Research by UNDP and other global actors found that supportive mechanisms such as childcare policy, flexible working arrangements, and other enabling initiatives would elevate women’s participation and leadership in the public, as in the private sector.
Investments in these support mechanisms would be key to promoting diversity and ensure institutions are representative and responsive to the population they serve. Vietnamese women excel across diverse fields; they deserve to lead in those fields and to be more visible in policy‑making arenas.
Advancing women’s political participation and their presence in leadership positions both in public and private sector requires targeted investments and support mechanisms to create effective pathways for them to be not just "in the room" but meaningfully engaged in shaping policy and law including in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
3. In your work with the Government of Viet Nam, have you observed any changes in recent years in how women’s leadership is perceived within the public administration?
For the first time, Viet Nam has appointed a woman Deputy Prime Minister. And for the first time, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front is led by a woman. These milestones send a powerful signal that women’s leadership at the highest levels of public administration is increasingly recognized and valued.
However, we also observe contrasting reality at subnational levels. It has often been remarked that all 34 Provincial People’s Committee Chairpersons and all 34 Provincial Party Secretaries are men. This suggests that while progress has been made at the national level, barriers within institutional nomination and promotion systems persist, particularly at the provincial level.
Gender norms play a role in hindering women's path to the top. Nonetheless, a positive trend appears looking at three national elections—in 2011, 2015, and 2021—showing gradual improvement in voters’ support for women candidates. I also find it very encouraging that more than 45 percent of candidates for the 2026-2031 National Assembly seats are women. I hope that public opinion may be shifting towards a more gender inclusive and diverse view of leadership.
Perceptions of women’s leadership within public administration are gradually becoming more positive, but changes in attitudes have not yet been fully translated into institutional practices and leadership outcomes. This gap between improving perceptions and limited leadership outcomes points to persistent institutional constraints within political and public leadership pathways.
Women Leaders in the Age of Technology and AI
4. Digital transformation and artificial intelligence are reshaping how the public sector operates. In your view, is technology creating new opportunities for women leaders, or widening the gender gap in leadership?
Digital transformation and AI are reshaping how public institutions operate. They are affecting everything from policy formulation and service delivery to governance and management, creating new demands for leadership in data, technology, and innovation.
Resolution No. 57 identifies digital transformation and innovation as key drivers to improve governance effectiveness, enhance public service delivery, and support socio-economic development.
International experience and UNDP’s global research indicate that when women participate in the governance and design of digital and AI systems, public services are more likely to respond to the needs of different population groups.
In Viet Nam, survey results from the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) show that women are less exposed than men to e-services and digital platforms, suggesting that access to and benefits from digital transformation remain uneven.
This gap is also reflected in leadership: UNDP Viet Nam’s 2025 study on women in leadership in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation shows that women remain underrepresented in decision-making roles in these sectors at both central and local levels.
As Viet Nam implements Resolution 57, promoting women’s participation in leadership and decision-making related to digital transformation and AI will be important to ensure that technological progress contributes to effective, inclusive, and people-centred governance.
Digital transformation and AI can open new leadership opportunities for women in the public sector; however, without women’s participation in decision-making, these processes may not fully realize the objectives of Viet Nam’s national digital transformation and innovation agenda.
5. If women are not meaningfully involved in designing AI and digital transformation policies, what do you see as the greatest risks to society?
AI and digital technologies are increasingly used by public institutions to support decision-making, deliver public services, and manage public resources. How these technologies are designed and governed at the outset will shape how the public sector operates over the long term.
International research, including UNDP’s 2025 Global Human Development Report, shows that AI will reflect and perpetuate social and gender biases if inclusive approaches are not applied at the design, policy and governance stage.
An oft-referenced example from a top tech company showed how an AI recruitment tool, trained on historical hiring data from a male-dominated workforce, systematically downgraded CVs that included indicators associated with women. While unintended, this shows how AI replicates and scales existing gender biases embedded in institutional data.
When women -- and beyond women -- when diverse groups, are not meaningfully involved in shaping digital transformation and AI policies, there is a risk that these biases become embedded in systems that people rely on for everyday public services.
Technology policies that lack a gender and diversity perspective may also overlook risks or fail to identify unintended impacts of digital tools, impacting not only women but also negatively influencing fairness, public trust, and the overall effectiveness of public policies and services.
Viet Nam’s Resolution No. 57 emphasizes that digital transformation and innovation should improve governance quality and better serve people and society. Achieving this objective requires broad and balanced participation, including women, in the design and governance of digital and AI policies.
If diversity is not meaningfully embedded while shaping AI and digital transformation policies, there is a risk that these technologies may not fully support the objectives of effective governance, social inclusion, and sustainable development set out in Viet Nam’s national strategies.
6. How do you assess the role of Vietnamese women in emerging technology fields such as AI, data, and digital transformation in the public sector?
Vietnamese women have a solid talent base in AI, data, and digital transformation, with participation in STEM education and the science and technology workforce at around 37%, higher than the global average at just under 30%, demonstrating strong professional capacity.
In the public sector, women are increasingly present in technical and mid-management roles supporting digital service delivery, data use, and administrative reform, forming an important pipeline for future leadership.
However, research shows clear evidence of the glass ceiling as women move into senior leadership and decision-making roles in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, indicating that existing potential is constrained by structural rather than capacity-related barriers.
Where enabling policies and institutional commitment exist, women have demonstrated strong leadership performance in specialized and technology-related sectors, confirming that opportunity and systems matter.
To fully realize women’s contribution to AI and digital transformation in the public sector, the focus needs to shift from participation alone to strengthening leadership pathways and women’s roles in decision-making and system design.
Vietnamese women have strong capacity in AI and digital transformation, but structural barriers still limit their progression into leadership. Realizing this potential requires strengthening leadership pathways and women’s roles in decision-making and system design.
An Inspirational Perspective
7. As an international female leader working in Viet Nam, what personal challenges have you faced in leading a development organization?
In my current role as Head of a UN agency in Viet Nam, I would not say I have faced challenges that I would attribute to my gender. My greatest personal limitation has been language. I deeply wish I spoke Vietnamese fluently, so I could engage directly and more spontaneously with our partners and beneficiaries, without relying on interpretation.
Earlier in my career, however, one persistent challenge—shared by many young women leaders—was being seen, heard and acknowledged as the leader in the room. I recall meetings where counterparts would direct remarks to the men on my team rather than to me. Addressing that required patience and, at times, gentle but deliberate redirection. Moments like that reveal how unconscious bias can shape professional interactions.
Women leaders also tend to face additional layers of scrutiny and doubt, particularly around family responsibilities. I’ve had people ask me questions that are rarely, if ever, posed to men. For example: how will you manage increased professional demands while caring for your children? And if I’m honest, I think we all carry some unconscious bias about women’s role and responsibility. Navigating these assumptions calls for ensuring you are first able to identify that bias, and then have the clarity of purpose and quiet confidence to counter it with facts and objective perspectives.
8. What advice would you give to young Vietnamese women who aspire to pursue leadership careers in the public sector and in technology-related fields?
First, cultivate your own authentic leadership style and voice. Be inspired by others, but do not imitate them. Understand your unique strengths and build from that authentic foundation.
Second, seek mentors who will both support and challenge you. These can be either women or men role models who can help you sharpen your capabilities and identify areas for growth.
Third, do not be afraid of disagreement. If you stand for something meaningful—whether in public service or technological innovation—you will inevitably face differences of opinion and even resistance. You cannot, and should not, aim to please everyone. Leadership requires conviction. Stay anchored in your principles, and do so with grace and professionalism. Over time, I have learned that authority does not need to be loud to be effective.
Finally, dream big, embrace change, and keep your sense of humour. It will sustain you through the toughest moments.
9. If you were to send one message to Vietnamese policymakers about investing in women’s leadership in the age of AI, what would you emphasize?
As Viet Nam advances digital transformation and the application of AI, women should be meaningfully involved in the co-creation and co-design of digital and AI systems, particularly in areas that shape public services and decision-making. Inclusive design, with women leaders participating alongside men, helps ensure that AI systems reflect diverse needs and avoid unintended bias as they are adopted across the public sector.
Women’s participation in leadership and oversight roles is important to ensure that digital tools are applied in ways that are transparent, accountable, and aligned with public interests.
Besides AI and the digital space, promoting women’s leadership in science, technology, and innovation, as well as in elected bodies and senior public administration, is essential to fill the gap that limits women's opportunities in traditionally male-dominated sectors, and prevents countries unlocking economic and productivity gains, strengthening inclusion, and progressing towards sustainable development.
Young women public officials and civil servants must be trained, mentored, and promoted from the grassroots level so they can assume more significant responsibilities and meaningfully join in shaping policies and legislative frameworks for development. Partners such as the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics have a major role to play in supporting the capacity development of new cadres, ensuring that the capabilities needed to bring forward the ambitions of Viet Nam are fully embedded in local and national institutions.
Continuing to invest in women’s leadership today means investing in people-centered, inclusive, and effective governance, consistent with Viet Nam’s national strategies on digital transformation and innovation. This also calls for continued engagement with institutions such as the National Assembly to strengthen gender-responsive legislation and oversight in emerging areas such as AI and digital transformation.
From the perspective of UNDP, ensuring that participation, responsiveness, and accountability remain foundational to institutional reforms is not just a matter of supporting strong and inclusive governance – it is the key to promoting durable and sustained progress in line with Viet Nam’s national priorities and long-term development goals./.