Reproducing Gender in Viet Nam’s Museums:

A Pilot Study

FINAL REPORT

January 2011

UNESCO, Hanoi Viet Nam

Acknowledgements

This report is based on original research, analysis and a report on the study findings prepared in 2009 by a team of consultants consisting of Ms Helka Ketonen, International Consultant on Museums, Ms Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, National Consultant, and Ms Marjo Riitta Tervonen, International Consultant on Gender. Mr Le Ha Trung, UNESCO gender focal point in the Culture Team ably assisted the consulting team. Mr Richard Pierce edited the first draft of the report. UNESCO Hanoi is grateful to colleagues in the UNESCO regional office and at UNESCO HQ who reviewed successive drafts of the report and provided extensive comments and feedback.

Ms Ingrid FitzGerald, International Consultant, prepared the final draft of this report, with assistance from Mr Le Ha Trung and Ms Duong Bich Hanh of the UNESCO Hanoi Culture Team. Finally UNESCO and the consulting team also wish to thank the six museums and their staff who participated in the study. Without their generous and active engagement this study would not have been possible.

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Abbreviations

CEDAW Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

DCH Department of Culture and Heritage

EFEO Ecole Francais d’Extreme-Orient (French School of Oriental Far East)

GEL Gender Equality Law

HCMC Ho Chi Minh City

ICOM The International Council of Museums

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MoCST Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism

NCFAW National Committee for the Advancement of Women in Viet Nam

PCG Programme Coordination Group

UN United Nations

UNCT United Nations Country Team

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation

VND Viet Nam Dong

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Contents

Acknowledgements ...... 1 Abbreviations ...... 2

Contents ...... 3

Executive Summary ...... 5

A. Introduction and Context for the Study ...... 9 Delet Introduction ...... 9 Delet Context for the Study: Development of Museums in Viet Nam ...... 10 Delet Introduction of museums into Viet Nam by the French ...... 10 Delet Museums in an independent Vietnam ...... 11 Delet Developing museums for the 21st Century ...... 11 Delet Museum audiences ...... 13 Delet Museum careers ...... 14 Context for the Study: Policy and legislative frameworks for gender equality in Viet Nam ...... 15 Delet Culture and gender equality frameworks ...... 16 Delet Purpose of the study ...... 18 Delet Delet B. Methodology ...... 19 Delet Selection of the museums and museum visitors ...... 19 Delet Research questions and methods ...... 20 Delet Assessing the collections and exhibitions ...... 21 Delet Interviews with museum staff ...... 21 Delet Visitor survey ...... 22 Study limitations ...... 23 Delet Delet C. Key Findings ...... 23 Delet The Museum Experience ...... 23 Delet Images of people – women, men and children ...... 23 Delet Clothing ...... 24 Delet Images of family members ...... 25 Delet Balance between images of people and objects ...... 25 Delet Gender imbalance in images and objects exhibited in museums, by theme ...... 26 Delet Representing gender identities: how is normative masculinity and femininity being Delet represented? ...... 27 Traditional roles and practices ...... 27 Delet Women’s and men’s contribution to society ...... 29 Delet Gender balance in education and public programs ...... 29 Delet Gender balance in publications, leaflets and web materials ...... 30 Delet Behind the scenes at the museum: discussions and interviews with museum staff ...... 30 Delet Gender balance in the museum workforce ...... 30 Delet Feminisation of the museum workforce ...... 31 Delet Gender-based division of labour ...... 32 Delet Policies on gender-related issues ...... 33 Delet

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Training on gender issues ...... 34 Delet Role of the museum in social change ...... 34 Delet Role of museums in promoting gender equality ...... 35 Delet Women’s position in museums: a vehicle for social change? ...... 36 Delet Views on unequal retirement age ...... 36 Delet Understandings of Gender Equality ...... 37 Delet The visitor experience: audience surveys ...... 38 Reasons for visiting the museum ...... 39 Delet Visitor satisfaction and experience ...... 39 Delet Delet D. Conclusion and Recommendations ...... 41 Delet Collections and exhibitions ...... 43 Delet Museum education and outreach activities ...... 44 Delet Audience research ...... 45 Delet Gender equality training for museum staff ...... 46 Delet Museums’ personnel policies and staff awareness of gender issues ...... 46 Delet Future Research ...... 47 Recommendations to Member States and the UN staff ...... 48 Delet Delet Annexes ...... 50 Delet Annex A: Terms of Reference ...... 50 Delet Annex B: Interview Guides ...... 55 Delet Research Framework ...... 55 Delet Face to Face Interviews ...... 56 Delet Visitor Survey ...... 66 Delet Annex C: Profile of visitors interviewed ...... 71 Annex D: Visitor responses ...... 72 Delet Annex E: Visitor Satisfaction ...... 74 Delet Annex F: Museum staff profile ...... 75 Delet Delet References ...... 76 Delet

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Executive Summary

In 2009 UNESCO Hanoi commissioned a gender analysis of the culture sector, with a specific focus on museums. Museums play a specific role in representing historical and cultural perspectives on gender relations, but also reflect and reinforce contemporary gender norms, and in the Vietnamese content, are mandated to disseminate dominant political perspectives in line with Government policy. As cultural institutions and workplaces museums are therefore a rich source of information about gender relations and inequalities and how these are understood and replicated. For this reason, and in the context of limited resources, UNESCO Hanoi decided to focus on museums as an example of the culture sector. This study, the first of its kind conducted by UNESCO globally, set out to investigate how gender roles, norms, identities and differences are represented and reproduced in museums, how male and female visitors perceive the museum experience, and the attitudes and perceptions of museum staff, together with differences in the professional opportunities and workplace conditions men and women are able to access. The study also set out to make recommendations as to how a gender analysis can inform and improve the museum experience. Six museums were selected for the study including national and regional institutions in both North and South Viet Nam. Content analysis of these museums was undertaken, together with qualitative interviews with museum managers and staff, and a small-scale quantitative and qualitative survey of visitors in each museum. This report is divided into four sections. Section A introduces the report and the context for the study, including the development of museums in Viet Nam, and relevant gender equality policy and legislative frameworks and their implications for the culture sector. Section B presents the study methodology, which is described in some detail in order to inform other UNESCO offices that may be interested in undertaking similar research. Section C presents the study findings in three parts, firstly as they relate to the museum experience and environment; secondly staff attitudes, perceptions, roles and opportunities are discussed; and thirdly visitor perceptions and feedback are presented. Section D presents the conclusions and makes recommendations as to how UNESCO, the Government of Viet Nam, and Viet Nam’s museums can use a gender analysis to improve the museum experience and attract new audiences. Key findings of the study are as follows:  Generally the museums studied present men’s stories and worlds, with a focus on Viet Nam’s history, wartime, and military victories. A second area of focus is ethnic minority cultures. Women’s worlds and experience are less often represented, with the exception of exhibitions in the Women’s Museum and to a lesser extent the Museum of Ethnology. Where women’s experiences are represented this tends to be in stereotypical ways, for example focusing on romance and weddings. At the same time, the role and experience of Kinh/Hoa majority men in the household and family is invisible.  Most of the museums studied are still engaged in the project of promoting a patriotic, nationalist view of Viet Nam’s history and culture, in line with Government legislation and

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policy. Dominant and conservative images of men and women, masculinity and femininity are predominantly represented. While some museums are making an effort to change this, overall the museums tend to replicate, rather than investigating or challenging Kinh/Hoa majority gender norms and attitudes. Representations of ethnic minority populations do show more variation, for example including houses and domestic life, however significant differences between ethnic minorities, such as matrilineal family structures, are not explored or explained.  Similarly museums neglect to a substantial degree representations of ordinary life, people’s intimate, personal experiences and memories and different roles in the domestic sphere in particular. Yet the visitor survey showed a strong interest in just these topics among museum audiences, in particular younger people.  The museum workplace is relatively equal, opportunities to work in museums are open to men and women, women are represented in senior roles, and access to benefits under the Labour Code are made available to women staff. However, it is a feminised workplace, with a majority of female staff. Men, who have higher-level qualifications than women, are concentrated in research and technical roles, while women are concentrated in roles dealing with the public, such as education, and as museum guides.  Key factors in the gender division of labour are lower rates of pay, which make museum work unattractive to men, women’s need to balance work and family which make it difficult for them to undertake some tasks such as travelling for fieldwork, and women’s tendency to study subjects such as foreign languages and tourism which can lead to museum work.  Clear gender bias and discriminatory attitudes were evident among many male and female staff and managers. Women were perceived to be weaker and less healthy than men and were seen to be unable to undertake certain tasks, including heavy lifting and fieldwork. Women were also seen as more suited to museum work as they are better with people, more patient, have better attention to detail, and are more careful with museum objects and artefacts. Men on the other hand were seen as more impatient, more capable of physical work, and better suited to research, fieldwork and travel.  These discriminatory attitudes contribute to and reinforce the gender division of labour in museums. They also help to explain why most museum staff support discriminatory legal provisions such as the unequal retirement age. These attitudes together with women’s double responsibility for paid and domestic work limit women’s ability to access certain jobs and opportunities in particular when they are married and have young children. At the same time, men are expected to travel, undertake fieldwork, work overtime, and do harder physical work, and are not able to access benefits such as paternity leave which would enable them to be better fathers.  Museum staff and management had varied views about the role of museums in promoting social change and gender equality. Some took a more traditional view arguing that the purpose of a museum is to educate and that addressing “gender issues” is not the

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responsibility of mainstream museums. Others were more open to the idea that museums can influence audiences and bring about social change, and do have a role to play in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Most respondents said that museum staff would need training and capacity building to address gender issues however.  Museum visitors surveyed tended to visit museums with others, and most were recommended to attend by a family member or a teacher. Around half were repeat visitors, and most were very satisfied with their experience. Their responses indicated that they felt they had learned from the experience in line with traditional views about the educational role of museums.  However many visitors, in particular young people, were clearly looking for something more from the museum experience. Many visitors wanted more information – from labels, from museum brochures and information and from museum guides. Most were open to and interested in seeing more equal representations of men and women and were also keen to see representations of the “ordinary life” of both men and women, in workplaces and families and as parents and family members.  In addition, it was evident that museum visitors were interested in seeing more “personal stories” represented: people’s lives, memories, ordinary objects, and narratives and images of people’s experience in different cultural and historical periods.  The study therefore suggests that museums can do a lot more to make the museum experience attractive to visitors, including by offering representations of women and men’s experiences as well as telling more “personal stories” of ordinary people. A gender analysis can help to inform the design and execution of these kinds of exhibitions and ensure that different voices of men and women, boys and girls are heard. Based on the research findings, the report makes the following key recommendations:  Support research on gender issues in relation to museology and the study of Vietnamese culture, history, war, politics, and education.  Re-evaluate existing museum collection strategies and policies in line with new research and theory developed under Recommendation One above.  Develop ‘pilot’ exhibitions to elaborate and highlight the relation between gender equality issues and museums.  Support museums to develop educational policies and practices.  Support mutual understanding and cooperation between museums and schools.  Organise training and capacity building for museums to undertake, analyse and use audience research to improve the museum experience.  Develop gender training modules for museum staff, combining theory and practice, and roll out training for all national and major sub-national museums

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 Organise gender equality workshops and training sessions in museum studies in universities focusing on museology as a career  Organize gender equality training for museum staff  Ensure a robust methodology and approach to similar studies on gender and museums in other countries.  Continue to promote an understanding and adoption of international standards, best practices and ethics among Vietnamese museums.

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A. Introduction and Context for the Study

“History cannot be changed, but the way history is exhibited can be changed.” Museum Leader

Introduction The National Strategy on Cultural Development to 2020 sets out the importance of culture in Viet Nam’s development process, noting that culture should be an integral part of development, and “economic development cannot be sustainable if cultural values are neglected or simply left out.” A specific role is envisaged for Viet Nam’s museums, they are to exhibit collections of outstanding historical, scientific, and cultural value, using the most up to date technology to preserve their collections for future generations (GoV 2009). Museums play a key role in any society in preserving, documenting, and exhibiting aspects of cultural, historical, social and political life. Yet they also shape perceptions as well as recording and reporting cultural and historical fact. In Viet Nam this role is explicit: museums along with other cultural institutions are expected to play their part in promoting “culture as the spiritual foundation of the society, functioning as both the goal and stimulation for socio-economic development” including by furthering “the conservation, inheritance and mobilization of national cultural values in line with promotion of the diversity, unique identity of the cultures of ethnic groups, the steadfast consolidation and enhancement of the unity out of the diversity of the Vietnamese culture, focusing on the building of the new cultural values” (GoV 2009: 14). Precisely because museums along with other cultural institutions shape as well as reflect cultural realities, they are a fertile source for understanding gender roles, identities, norms, and different expressions of gender inequality in any society: museums can tell us as much about how gender is understood and viewed in contemporary society as they do about gender inequality in different historical and cultural periods. Given the role of Viet Nam’s museums in disseminating information and propaganda, they are a particularly rich source of data and information. In 2009, therefore, UNESCO commissioned a small scale study of six of Viet Nam’s museums as an example of the cultural sector, in order to investigate how gender roles, identities, norms and inequalities are represented and reproduced, how male and female visitors perceive the museum experience, and the attitudes and perceptions of museum staff together with differences in the professional opportunities and workplace conditions available to women and men. The study also set out to make recommendations as to how a gender analysis can inform and improve the museum experience. The study drew primarily on fieldwork conducted in six museums; including national and provincial museums, and those from the North and South of Viet Nam. Qualitative interviews were conducted with museum management and staff; together with a small-scale quantitative and qualitative survey of museum visitors. This was supplemented by a desk review of relevant materials; and content analysis and assessment of collections, exhibits, education and public programs and display text and publications in each of the six museums visited. Following a brief discussion of the context for the study below, including the development of the museum sector in Viet Nam, and relevant policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s

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empowerment at the national level, section B of the report presents an outline of the methodology used for the fieldwork. The methodology is described in some detail as it is hoped that this study, the first of its kind conducted by UNESCO, will be replicated in other countries. Section C sets out the findings of the study as they relate to the museum experience and environment; visitor perceptions and feedback; and staff attitudes, perceptions, roles and opportunities. Section D briefly presents conclusions and recommendations as they relate to improving the museum experience for different audiences, as well as to using a gender analysis to create more effective exhibitions, and give greater voice to both ordinary men and women. Details of the terms of reference, interview guides, and participants in staff interviews and visitor surveys are included in the Annexes.

Context for the Study: Development of Museums in Viet Nam1

Introduction of museums into Viet Nam by the French

The French conquest of Viet Nam dates from 1858. In 1898, the French General Governor Paul Doumer established the Permanent Archaeological Mission (Mission archéologique permanente) in Saigon, Cochinchina. This institution came under the authority of the General Governor and its scientific activities came under the authority of the Academy of Inscription and Literature (Académie des inscriptions et belle-letters) of the Institute of France. Three years later, on February 26, 1901, the institution was renamed École Française d’Extrême-Orient (French School of Oriental Far East), thereafter known as the EFEO. While there is some disagreement over which was the first museum in Viet Nam; in 1910, the Hanoi Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum was inaugurated in Hanoi, and was the first museum open to the public. Its collections were displayed in the General Residential Building, comprised of a principal hall and an annex. Many of the objects exhibited at the Hanoi Museum were from countries influenced by the Chinese civilization. However, as the language used was solely French, the museum served only a limited French-speaking audience, and was largely an academic institution rather than a museum for the general public. The museum’s collection grew through donations, purchases and receipt of objects and specimens from archaeological sites. As the collection expanded, more space was required and on February 28, 1925, the General Governor of Indochina approved a project to reconstruct the museum. In March 1932 the new museum was inaugurated and was renamed the Louis Finot Museum. The museum continued to address a specialist audience, with a focus on studying the past. Ordinary Vietnamese people, in particular women, who did not speak French, were effectively excluded.

1 Note that the following two sections draw heavily on the following publication: Huong Thi Thu Nguyen (2002) Redefining the museum in modern Vietnam: A case study of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, MA Thesis, Columbia University.

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Museums in an independent Vietnam

Following the end of the French colonial period in 1957, the EFEO moved to Paris, taking with it parts of the collection, and giving its museums, buildings and the remainder of its collections to the people of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the French colonial period, the French – the colonisers – had created museums to represent the cultures of Vietnamese people – the colonised, and the museums of the EFEO were therefore an illustration of French power and control over the representation of Vietnamese cultures and people. Unsurprisingly therefore, after the French colonial period a number of museums were created and managed by the Vietnamese people in an effort to represent their own cultures in their own museums. From the outset, Vietnamese museums have not only been scientific and educational centres, but also ideological institutions, whose “socialist exhibitions” are required to “realize political tasks that are set up for each revolutionary period by the Party and the State”. The intention in creating a network of museums in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was explicitly linked to serving cultural and social development goals: by transforming “museums into main treasures of the State in order to preserve tangible cultural heritage and to transform these materials into original documents to serve the work of scientific research and to educate the general public”. In 1956, the Ministry of Culture set out a hierarchical system in order to “build the basic collections for museums at central and local levels, to educate the Vietnamese people about the revolutionary tradition, and to introduce Vietnam to international countries” (Nguyen Thinh 1990 cited in Nguygen 2002). In 1959 the Revolutionary Museum was opened, the first museum built by the Vietnamese themselves, it was created to celebrate the victory of the Vietnamese revolution, led by Vietnam’s Labour Party. Thus, museums in Viet Nam have served, and continue to serve, scientific and educational purposes, while also helping to realise the political goals of the State and Party.

Developing museums for the 21st Century

Forty-two years after the establishment of the first independent museum of an independent Viet Nam, Vietnamese museums are changing rapidly. From six museums during the French colonial period, there are now 128 museums nationally: 7 national museums, 78 provincial museums, 8 private museums and 35 specialised museums. This does not include memorials and traditional houses. Museums are organised hierarchically from central to local level; and are governed like other administrative bodies. The Department of Culture and Heritage (DCH) in the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism (MoCST) is responsible for guiding the work of preservation, planning of future museums, and assisting the Government of Viet Nam to issue policies on preserving cultural heritage and museums. According to the Law on Cultural Heritage, museums are places to preserve and display collections regarding natural and social history, in order to meet the needs of research, education, visiting and cultural enjoyment (Article 47). Further, museums have the following responsibilities: 1. To collect, classify, preserve and display collections; 2. To conduct scientific research on cultural heritage; and,

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3. To organize the promotion of cultural heritage to serve the interests of society. Museums in Viet Nam have traditionally held responsibility for tangible heritage, while other research institutions have been responsible for intangible heritage, most likely because the main function of museums until recent years has been to disseminate propaganda. Tangible cultural heritage is defined as consisting of historical-cultural sites and scenic landscapes (sites), relics, antiquities and national treasures. Intangible cultural heritage includes language and inscriptions, artistic, literal and scientific works, oral literature, folk performances, life styles, traditional festivals, traditional handicrafts and traditional knowledge. Currently museums are classified into three groups, based on the following criteria: Table 1: Museum Classification Items Education staff Museum Size of the Visitors Items preserved and holding BA degree s Class showrooms per annum displayed in museology Class I 20 000 100 % 2 500 m2 40 % 300 000 Class II 10 000 70 % 1 500 m2 30 % 150 000 Class III 5 000 50 % 1 000 m2 25 % 50 000

This classification impacts on the State budget allocated to each institution annually and also regulates the number of permanent staff in each museum. The National Strategy on Culture Development further specifies that museums must be regularly upgraded with new objects and materials, use new technology to exhibit and archive documents and exhibits; systematically build a “data bank” of document and exhibits, and progressively digitize and centrally store valuable documents. It also sets out the Government’s commitment to expand the museum sector by constructing a national history museum, building thematic museums and museums of natural history, facilitating creation of private museums and collections, and organising overseas exhibitions together with exhibition of foreign collections in Viet Nam (Gov 2009). Some museums are predominantly historical and some are cultural in focus. Historical museums include those dedicated to the history of society, such as the History Museum, or a specific branch such as the history of the Vietnamese revolution like the Revolutionary Museum, or the history of the armed forces such as the Army Museum. Cultural museums include the Vietnam Fine-Arts Museum and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VME). Local museums are usually general in nature, representing different aspects of people’s lives, including history, economy, culture and social changes. Until recently the predominant role and function of Viet Nam’s museums has been to disseminate propaganda. However, a few active museums have over the past decade been renovating and seeking new ways to preserve and present Viet Nam’s history and cultural heritage in a more objective and interactive way. Various international organisations and the donor community including ICOM, UNESCO, the French Embassy FSP, the Dutch Embassy, and the Ford Foundation have supported this new approach, which has been appreciated by museum visitors and the MoCST. Particular efforts have been made to improve conservation practices and skills, object inventory and registration, museum education, community involvement, and building of networks with the international museum community.

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Several new museum buildings and some significant renovations are underway, while some museums have also changed their names to reflect new operational approaches. For example Ho Chi Minh City’s Revolutionary Museum has changed its name to the Ho Chi Minh Museum, in order to reflect its new image as a museum of culture and history for citizens. Similarly in Hanoi a new museum project will merge two national museums, the Viet Nam Museum of History and the Viet Nam Museum of Revolution into a new museum complex to be named the National Museum of History. Through this project the Vietnamese Government has signalled its intention to create a cultural institution with political, ideological and socio-cultural significance: “a leading socio- historic museum for preserving, displaying and promoting the cultural and historic heritage values of Vietnam, giving comprehensive introduction about the national history from prehistoric period to present and the variety of national culture”. It is planned that this new museum will open in 2012. With the emergence of a new approach to museums come new opportunities to reflect gender issues and promote gender equality. These include more gender sensitive approaches to developing and mounting exhibitions, together with new opportunities to promote opportunities for women within the museum workforce, as discussed below.

Museum audiences

Unfortunately little is known in Viet Nam about museum audiences or the museum experience from a visitor perspective. No systematic study of museum visitors has been undertaken to date, and although some museums are starting to collect data on visitors, this data is not sex disaggregated. In addition, the data gathered is not systematically analysed or used to improve the visitor experience. Most commonly, museums collect feedback by providing visitor notebooks for feedback on specific exhibitions, and by counting visitor numbers at the door. Only a very few museums collect feedback via questionnaire forms, and these are generally used to seek feedback on individual exhibitions rather than the overall museum experience. However, due to inadequate research methods and analysis, these surveys have been of limited use in enabling museums to use the data generated to improve their practices. The following observations are therefore based on interviews with museum staff, direct observation of museums undertaken by the consulting team, and the personal experience of the consultants. In Viet Nam, most people visit museums as part of a group, for example via their school, the Women’s Union or Youth Union, or different veterans groups. The institutions that send these groups usually subsidize the visits as an award for outstanding academic performance or in response to certain government policies. However, participants frequently complain that these visits are short and exhausting. In addition museums are often not well equipped to meet visitor expectations and demand. Schools are required to take their pupils either to museums or monuments once a year, with these visits usually made in very large groups, based on a 1994 Inter-ministerial Instruction which tasks schools with taking students to museums, cultural-historical monuments and significant revolutionary and resistance sites. Often the whole school attends at the same time and museums have to cope with hundreds of students in a single visit. In addition, most teachers who accompany their students on these visits have had limited exposure to museums and therefore rely on the

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museum staff to lead the tour of the museum and exhibitions. Furthermore, as children receive a traditional education which largely involves passive listening and rote learning rather than exploratory methods, school groups, together with many other Vietnamese people, usually expect to be lectured by the museum guides. International travellers are frequent visitors to museums in major cities, and in major tourist sites, and usually prefer to hire private tour operators to guide them through the museum or to walk through in small private groups. Many museums appreciate the expanded presence of overseas tourists and have developed services accordingly however it remains challenging for museums to cater to international visitors from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Over the past few years new approaches have emerged to developing audience activities, largely based on community outreach and museum-based education. Government and local authorities have urged museums to develop new activities for education purposes, in particular targeting young school children. Examples of emerging good practices include sending travelling exhibitions to remote areas, museum guides giving talks at local schools, summer school activities for children, and family activities during major Vietnamese festivals. One of the most active museums in terms of outreach is the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnography, which has successfully developed its image as a friendly and welcoming place for Hanoi people to visit at weekends, spend time in the gardens, enjoy family activities, and visit exhibitions. In Can Tho, the local regional museum has expanded its accessibility by waiving its entrance fee and extending its opening hours to include the evenings. This was done deliberately to meet the needs of the local community as well as visiting tourists who have free time in the evenings. Participant observation found the atmosphere among visitors to this museum to be respectful, curious and content. Nevertheless, despite progress made towards becoming more accessible, relevant and objective, Viet Nam’s museum sector is acknowledged to be under-developed. The National Strategy for Culture suggests that the museum system in Viet Nam is “generally outdated, featuring old-fashioned and obsolete equipments for both display and preservation of objects” (GoV 2009:7). Similarly, an independent review of Vietnamese cultural policy carried out by international and Vietnamese experts in 2006-2007 found that “there are still by any comparison relatively few professionally managed museums in Vietnam”; with limitations in the supply, diversity and quality of existing museums (Gorannson et al n.d.). This study suggests that museums have significant unrealised potential to become active agents in addressing contemporary social and cultural issues, including gender equality. Greater attention to gender issues will assist museums to create a better museum experience, by developing richer, more accurate exhibitions; improving tailoring of educational and tour activities to different target audiences; and giving voice to the experience, lives, and aspirations of ordinary Vietnamese men and women, boys and girls.

Museum careers

At present Viet Nam offers several ways to prepare oneself for a museum career. Hanoi Cultural College and HCMC Cultural College both offer formal courses in museum studies. Teachers Colleges in big cities also provide social science courses. Graduates are eligible to apply to

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museums and can access permanent staff positions. University courses in the social sciences including history, anthropology and archaeology offered by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi and HCMC can also lead to research careers in scientific institutions and museums. Again, these researchers are able to qualify as permanent museum staff. In addition, and in order to meet increasing demand from schools and foreign tourists, many museums are now employing staff with backgrounds in linguistics, tourism and education, courses offered by institutions such as Schools of Foreign Languages and the Open University. These staff are usually employed as guides and translators at the museum information counter, or to work on educational activities. In terms of ongoing professional development, the MoCST and its international partners organise national workshops on topics such as conservation, museum education, and object identification systems. Growing interaction between Vietnamese museums and international institutions, as well as availability of qualifications in cultural heritage and related university studies have expanded opportunities for Vietnamese museum staff to take museum-related courses or continue their studies abroad.

Context for the Study: Policy and legislative frameworks for gender equality in Viet Nam

Viet Nam has a strong track record on promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and has been recognised for its strong performance on gender equality in compared to other countries in the region. Government commitment is reflected in policy and legislative frameworks which support gender equality and women’s empowerment. Viet Nam ranked 94th out of 155 countries on the Gender-related Development Index and 62nd out of 109 countries on the Gender Empowerment Measure, a comparable performance with other medium development countries in the region (UNDP Human Development Report 2009). Viet Nam has also made significant progress towards achieving key development targets for gender equality. There is no overall gender gap in primary or lower secondary education; 87 percent of women are active in the labour force compared to 93 percent of men; and 25.8 percent of members of the National Assembly are women, the highest rate of female representation among ASEAN nations (GoV 2010). Two key laws were passed in recent years which together lay out the legislative framework for gender equality in Viet Nam, in line with CEDAW and the Vietnamese Constitution: the 2006 Law on Gender Equality and the 2007 Law on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence. The Law on Gender Equality is comprehensive and seeks to ensure equality in all fields of politics, economy, labour, education and training, science and technology, culture, information and sport, public health and the family. Currently, the Government is finalising the draft National Strategy for Gender Equality which sets out Viet Nam’s priorities for gender equality and women’s empowerment from 2011-2020. This builds on the previous National Plan of Action for Women’s Advancement 2006- 2010. However, despite these legislative and policy frameworks and commitments, Vietnamese women continue to face serious challenges and obstacles. These include widespread prevalence of domestic violence, with one in three women having experienced violence from her husband in her

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lifetime; lower levels of participation in higher education at post-graduate level; and lack of opportunities for waged employment, as a majority of Vietnamese women are concentrated in informal jobs, in particular in unpaid family employment. In addition, persistent discriminatory attitudes and behaviour are evident in practices such as sex-selection, which have resulted in a rapidly rising sex ratio at birth, at 110 boys to 100 girls nationally in 2009 (UN 2010). Men continue to be seen as the head of the family, and typically make major financial decisions, despite women’s often significant economic role in the household. Women’s participation in decision- making at the sub-national level continues to be limited, women account for only one in five members of People’s Councils at the commune level.

Culture and gender equality frameworks

Viet Nam was one of the earliest countries to sign and ratify CEDAW; which requires states parties work towards the modification of social and cultural patterns of conduct in order to eliminate "prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women" (Article 5). Viet Nam is also a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICSCR); which identifies the right of all citizens to take part in cultural life. The 2006 Law on Gender Equality (GEL) provides for gender equality in the fields of culture, information and support, and specifies that men and women are equal under law in participating in cultural, information and sport activities, as well as in enjoying culture and approaching and using sources of information (Article 16). Articles 13 and 14 which provide for gender equality in the fields of labour and education are also relevant for this study, which aims to assess the extent to which museum employees are able to access equal employment and education opportunities. Decree No. 48/2009/ND-CP on measures to promote gender equality specifies that provision of information, education and communication about gender and gender equality shall include traditional cultural forms, mass culture, literature and arts creation and community activities, while Decree No 55/2009/ND-CP on penalties for administrative violations of the GEL prohibits preventing men or women from creating, criticizing literary works, arts, performance or other cultural activities for gender-biased reasons. The National Strategy for Gender Equality 2011-2020 identifies the need to strengthen progress on achieving gender equality in the fields of culture, information and sport as there has not yet been sufficient investment in these areas, and gender bias in communications products remains a problem, noting that “raising awareness and changing traditional gender bias and traditional gender perceptions are the first step in addressing gender inequality in all aspects of cultural life.” Specific targets in the field of culture and information include the following: 1. Ensure equal cultural enjoyment and access to information for both women and men. 2. Reduce gender-biased communication products by 80 per cent as compared with the year 2010 and increase broadcasting time for the promotion of gender equality perceptions. 3. 100 per cent of radio and television stations at national and local levels, and daily and weekly newspapers have thematic programs specialized in raising awareness on gender equality.

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Similarly in its concluding comments for Viet Nam in 2007, the CEDAW Committee recommended that the Government “take measures to bring about changes in traditional patriarchal attitudes and in gender-role stereotyping. Such measures should include awareness-raising and public educational campaigns addressing women and girls as well as men and boys, with a view to eliminating stereotypes associated with traditional gender roles in the family and in society, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention”, and also urged the Government to support education programmes on the culture of ethnic minority groups (CEDAW Committee 2007). A UNIFEM Viet Nam analysis of Viet Nam’s legislative framework through the lens of CEDAW reiterates the Committee’s recommendation that mechanisms for monitoring progress towards gender equality be put in place in the areas identified under CEDAW and the Law on Gender Equality: politics, economy, labour, education and training, science and technology, culture, information, sport, public health, and the family, in order to monitor the impact of legislation and policy interventions (Chiongson 2008). In addition, the report highlights the recommendation made by the Committee that the Law on Gender Equality and associated legal documents should make clear distinctions between temporary special measures (measures to promote gender equality) and general social policies in favour of women. Special measures such as special budgetary allocations, outreach and support programmes and preferential treatment must be considered, including in the fields of science and technology, culture, information, sports, and public health. However, it is notable that the gender equality policy and legislative frameworks pay relatively little attention to cultural dimensions of life, except as a vehicle for awareness raising and attitude change in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The CEDAW Committee Concluding comments are an exception in that they recognise the importance of accessing education and information in ethnic minority languages. At the same time, Viet Nam’s National Strategy on Culture and the Law on Culture are gender blind and do not refer to the different rights, needs, expectations and experiences of men and women in relation to cultural heritage. This represents a missed opportunity, because, as noted in the independent experts’ report on Vietnam’s cultural policy, the cultural sector has significant potential as a driver of economic development and empowerment – and by implication for advancing women’s political and economic status as well. Globally there is a more active discussion on linkages between gender and culture, and the way in which a gender-sensitive approach to promoting and preserving cultural heritage including through institutions such as museums can contribute to broader economic and social development goals and gender equality commitments. For example, UNESCO devoted an issue of the journal Museum International to the topic of Gender Perspectives on Cultural Heritage and Museums (UNESCO 2007), including an article by the Director of the Viet Nam Women’s Museum, Mrs Nguyen Thi Tuyet. A recent anthology edited by Amy Levin (2010), Gender, Sexuality and Museums, draws together key articles published over the past decade. However internationally there is significantly less analysis of gender and museums than of gender dimensions of other cultural forms and products such as literature, performing arts and film. Globally, museums attract more women than men, more middle-aged people than young people, as well as those with higher education levels and incomes. Museums around the world are becoming more audience-oriented in order to improve the services they offer current visitors as well as developing new attractions and services to bring in new audiences. Improved accessibility and

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social inclusion have been prioritised by many museums around the world. Not only physical accessibility, including ensuring accessible buildings, text size, availability of Braille translation etc, but also social, economic and cognitive accessibility have been prioritised. Attention to gender equality dimensions of the museum experience including the way museums display and interpret exhibitions together with their treatment of male and female staff is particularly relevant in this context. However, as noted above relatively few studies have been conducted on gender and museums and only one paper is available to date in Viet Nam, focusing on the Women’s Museum. UNESCO Viet Nam has therefore acted as a pioneer in this area by conducting this study.

Purpose of the study

The UN Country Team has given priority to gender mainstreaming in the process of UN reform, including gender mainstreaming in the One Plan II and the next One Plan 2012-2016. A comprehensive UN Country Team Viet Nam Gender Audit was carried out in 2008, which included a detailed analysis of individual agency country programmes and partnership frameworks. In relation to UNESCO Viet Nam, the Gender Audit found that the culture programme was effectively “gender-blind”; that is it did not “differentiate needs, aspirations, and capacities of each gender”, and was in danger of perpetuating dominant policies, practices, ideas and beliefs that foster gender inequality (UN 2008). In order to begin to address this in line with UNESCO’s global commitment to gender transformative interventions which “challenge biased and discriminatory policies, practices, ideas and beliefs and attempt to change them”, UNESCO Viet Nam decided to undertake a gender analysis of the culture sector, with a specific focus on museums. As noted above, museums play a specific role not only in representing historical and cultural perspectives on gender relations but also reflect and reproduce contemporary gender norms and in the Vietnamese context, play a role in disseminating dominant political norms and Government policies. As institutions and workplaces museums are therefore a rich source of information about how gender roles, norms, and inequalities are understood and replicated and for this reason and in the context of limited resources it was decided to focus on museums as an example of the culture sector. It is hoped that the present study will contribute to the goals set out in the UNCT Gender Mainstreaming Strategy 2009-2011 which aims to mainstream gender in development and implementation of the next One Plan 2012-2016, including by informing UNESCO’s future culture programming. The study is also in line with UNESCO’s global commitment to promoting gender equality; laid out in UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality, Bureau of Strategic Planning’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013 (34C/4) “Priority Gender Equality”. The Strategy states that priority is to be given to the pursuit of gender equality through action in all of UNESCO’s fields of competence, supported by a two-pronged approach promoting women’s empowerment and gender mainstreaming in Member States and within the Organization. Specifically in relation to museums, UNESCO’s Gender Equality Action Plan 2008-2011 (GEAP) identifies the following expected results: that gender equality will be integrated into the development and implementation of capacity-building activities for museums; and in particular that UNESCO will support an increase in the number of women experts participating in training activities, notably with a managerial focus, together with development of special training sessions targeting young professional women in

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Africa and Least Developed Countries. This study makes specific recommendations as to how UNESCO can work towards achieving these results in the context of the next One Plan 2012-2016.

B. Methodology

This section briefly sets out the methodology for the study, including the selection of study sites, fieldwork methods used, participants in staff interviews and visitor surveys, and key questions investigated. Detailed information on the Terms of Reference, interview guides, participants in interviews and surveys can be found in the Annexes.

Selection of the museums and museum visitors

As the time and resources available for the study were limited six museums were selected for the study, representing different collection types, exhibition formats, approaches to visitors, management arrangements, together with regional and geographical differences. Among the six museums selected are represented larger and smaller museums, those which are internationally recognised and locally acknowledged, regional and national museums and those from the North and the South of Viet Nam. It should be noted that a seventh museum which was planned to be included dropped out during the field mission due to communication and timing difficulties between the consultants and the museum management. Table 2: Museums Selected for Fieldwork Museum Name Location Parent Category Type of Museum Organisation Vietnam Museum Hanoi Vietnamese Category I - Specialized museum: of Ethnology Academy of Social National focus on ethnology of 54 Sciences Level ethnic groups (independent national research institution) Vietnam Women’s Hanoi Women’s Union Category I Specialized museum: Museum (independent, focus on Vietnamese specialized women past and present museum) History Museum HCMC HCMC Department Category I - Major museum in the of Ho Chi Minh of Culture, Sports Provincial South: focus on the City and Tourism level history of HCM city and South Vietnam War Remnant HCMC HCMC Department Category II Specialized museum: Museum of Culture, Sports focus on the history of the and Tourism American war Ho Chi Minh City HCMC HCMC Department Category I - Museum of local heritage: Museum of Culture, Sports Provincial focus on history and and Tourism level contemporary life of HCM city

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Can Tho Museum Can Tho Provincial museum Category II Museum of local heritage: in the South focus on history and contemporary life of Can Tho city and district

As noted earlier, many museums in Viet Nam receive foreign visitors, and in some museums foreign visitors outnumber Vietnamese visitors. However for the purpose of this study, and to facilitate data collection and analysis, Vietnamese audiences were given priority.

Research questions and methods

Key areas of investigation and research questions for the study were as follows:

1. Content analysis and assessment of collections, exhibits (both permanent and temporary), education and public programs, display text and publications. a) Are the lives of men and women in all their diversity adequately represented? Are both men’s and women’s concerns & perspectives incorporated into museum programs? b) Are men and women represented in their own right? Are gender identities expressed through museums collections? c) Whose heritage does the museum collect and represent? d) Do the collections describe the different ways in which men and women understand and use the artefacts? e) Does the documentation acknowledge men’s and women’s roles, including those which traditionally have been undervalued or overlooked? f) Do the traditions and heritage presented in the display value men’s and women’s rights and contributions? g) Are men and women defined as individuals or primarily represented through their relation to others as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters? h) Does the museum work with any women’s organization and encourage their ongoing participation? i) Do the text and publications patronize men and women? j) Are both men and women artists/creators exhibited?

2. Personnel policies of the museums, gender balance among museum staff as well as their approach to gender issues. a) What is the ratio of men/women in the museum staff and at which levels do they work? What is the ratio of men/women in leadership? Is there a difference in training and professionalism between men and women? b) What are the museum’s policies on gender-related issues, such as anti- discrimination, equal opportunities, family-friendly policies? c) Are there any gender differences in the reasons why male and female staff choose museum work? d) Is the Vietnamese retirement policy (women retire at 55 and men at 60) fair? e) Did the staff receive any training regarding gender issues? f) Are the staff aware of the educational power of museums on people’s mindset, including gender issues? g) What can curators/museum leaders/museum staff do to help gender equality and women’s empowerment?

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h) How to use women’s positions in museums as instruments for societal change? i) How do you define gender equality?

3. Visitor perceptions and experiences gathered by survey/interview and disaggregated by sex, age, and ethnicity/nationality. a) What is their motivation for coming to the museum? b) Which messages and representations of men and women do they retain from the exhibits? And why? c) “How” do they go to museums (alone, with children, accompanied by a partner, etc.)?

The main methods used to investigate these research questions were as follows:  Field visits and desk review of written materials together with consultations with museum and gender specialists were used to conduct the content analysis and assessment of collections, exhibits, education and public programs and display text and publications.  Personnel policies, attitudes and experiences of museum staff were assessed via face to face interviews with museum staff and management, and union representatives.  A small-scale visitor survey with quantitative and qualitative questionnaires was used to investigate visitor experiences and perceptions in each museum. For the assessment museum collections and exhibits, a guiding set of questions was used and one set of data was collected for each museum using this standard set of questions (see Annex B). For the face to face interviews, a standard interview guide was used and completed for each individual interview (see Annex B). For the survey of visitors, individual survey results were collected using a standard questionnaire and were collated into a single report for each museum, using a standard questionnaire (see Annex B). In addition, data was collated on the profile of participants interviewed (staff and visitors) at each museum site.

Assessing the collections and exhibitions

Participant observation was used to collect the data, including by observing ongoing exhibitions and public programs, reviewing museum websites, leaflets and other written material available to the research team for the period 2008-2009. Guiding questions were answered by the consulting team during the site visits and were then analysed and processed together following the field visits.

Interviews with museum staff

A total of 32 staff members, 22 women and 10 men were interviewed, with women predominating as they also predominate among museum staff. Interviewees were selected from three categories, managers/directors, curators, and other staff. Interviews were conducted in Vietnamese with translation for the international consultant, and transcripts were prepared in English from each interview. At the outset the research team set up a meeting with the museum management and staff to introduce the objectives of the study and discuss these in detail. In particular it was stressed that:

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1. Responses would be analysed anonymously and used to inform the research study and findings. 2. The purpose of the study was not to compare different museums but to gain an overall picture of gender dynamics in museum collections and exhibitions and in museums as workplaces. Interviews were conducted by both male and female team members, reflecting the target groups for the research study and the gender-balanced approach undertaken by the research team.

Visitor survey

The survey was intended to be conducted in a very short time frame over an eight day period therefore the expectation was that the data collected would be fairly limited due to the condensed collection process. The purpose of the survey was not to assess an average museum visit but rather to supplement information gained from the gender analysis of the collections, exhibitions and supporting documentation from an audience perspective. Importantly the visitor survey also served as a model for museums on how to conduct a simple survey with museum visitors. The survey combined a short quantitative and qualitative questionnaire, which included information on respondent demographics (age, sex), visitor profiles, expectations, satisfaction and response to specific gender issues and questions. The surveys were administered by the National Consultant with the assistance of a guide in each museum. Objectives and approach for the visitor survey were carefully discussed with museum staff and a suitable time and location to conduct the survey was agreed jointly by the consultant and staff member. The following principles were made clear to museum management and staff: 1. Each museum would receive its own surveys back, analysed and translated into Vietnamese. Each museum would only have access to its own survey results. 2. The final survey results would be analysed anonymously and used to inform the study report. 3. Each participating visit would be given a small gift by the museum following the interview, such as a necklace or postcard, to thank them for their participation. In general, there was no difficulty in requesting visitors to participate in the short quantitative survey but there were some problems tracking the same visitors to complete the qualitative questionnaire. Overall visitors were very responsive and cooperative, some even waited patiently to be interviews after the tour. Visitors were highly appreciative of this opportunity to interact with museum staff and provide their feedback. One possible limitation was that participants in smaller cities and the country-side were more reserved and less willing to share their opinions with the research team. 190 visitors took part in the survey, including 95 men and 95 women, with 109 quantitative and 81 qualitative questionnaires completed. The majority of respondents were young adults: 15 percent were aged 12-17, 40 percent were aged 18-29, 27 percent were 30-54 years old and 17 percent were 55 or over. Due to the frequency and type of visitors attending during the survey period the team was not always able to collect the expected amount of responses at each

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museum, however overall the amount of visitor contacts was still relevant for the study. A detailed breakdown of respondents is included at Annex C.

Study limitations

This was a small-scale, initial investigation into gender and museums in Viet Nam, and is in no way representative or generalizable. As the timeframe was short and resources limited, no formal method such as qualitative analysis software was used to analyse the data gathered from the site visits, face to face interviews and visitor survey. Nevertheless the study does offer some interesting observations and initial findings about how museums represent and replicate gender roles, norms and inequalities; as well as gender dimensions of museums as workplaces and employers.

C. Key Findings

The Museum Experience

As discussed above, the selection of the museum sites resulted in the inclusion of widely different institutions in the study, with the result that the data collected from the field visits was somewhat heterogeneous. However, it was possible to identify some common tendencies in the way cultural heritage is being disseminated to audiences of Vietnamese museums, including gender dimensions and representations. These are discussed in the following sections.

Images of people – women, men and children

Perhaps unsurprisingly given that most of the museums selected focus on Viet Nam’s recent history, and on the war experience, images and objects from wars and battlefields were commonly displayed in most of the museums, occupying the major exhibition spaces and main collections. Typically war is represented in an “heroic” way, with male soldiers and male war heroes, images of President Ho Chi Minh among soldiers, and with children cheering after victories. These images associate war with a heroic masculinity, in which the courage and sacrifice of male soldiers is celebrated and valorised. By contrast, women are commonly depicted dressed in ao dai (the Vietnamese national costume for women) greeting Vietnamese soldiers on their return from the battlefield. Subtly therefore, these images associate war with masculinity and women with peace and respite from conflict. However, in some cases women are also represented as participants in war; this varies depending on the geographical location of the museums. Museums in the North tend to show women as active participants: women as soldiers, as nurses, active on the home front, working in the tunnels and supporting male troops. In direct contrast, representations of women in the South typically show women as victims of war: suffering in prison, escaping with their children, women being tortured, or mothers taking care of their wounded children and husbands. As one museum director put it, “men make the war but [the] victims are women and children”. These differences are in part based on historical fact as Viet Nam was divided into Northern and Southern territories, and in the North,

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in line with communist thinking about equality between the sexes, women played a more active role in fighting and in the defensive war. Women are also valorised and celebrated for their sacrifice in war: “Heroic Mother” is an honorary title for a woman who lost more than four of her children in the war. Photographs of “Heroic Mothers” still appear in many museums in both the North and the South. Images of peacetime typically show women working in the rice fields, with children waving at the photographer, smiling and happy. Sometimes men are shown ploughing with a bull or buffalo, but the images exhibited suggest that agriculture is mainly the work of women. Contemporary life and urban development is in turn represented primarily through images of men, working in science, on the development of the country, as designers, in computer laboratories and meetings. Notably, men are usually depicted dressed in modern clothing. Perhaps unintentionally, these images therefore associate women with rural areas, tradition, and agriculture, and men with urbanisation, modernisation and development. It is also worth noting that in the museums visited there are very few images or objects depicting children, grandparents, everyday life or life in the cities. Images of leisure or recreation are not exhibited in these museums. It is therefore clear that museums continue to serve a political purpose: their collections and exhibitions focus on depicting Viet Nam’s war experience and victory and therefore reinforce nationalist and patriotic values. The following quote from a highly respected elderly scholar illustrates this, “[A] museum’s function is to show patriotic love. [A] museum is not for entertainment; the entrance of a museum is an altar, one should feel respect, esteem. [A] museum is a secret place, not a public place.”2 This view about the purpose of Viet Nam’s museums is still commonly held.

Clothing

In Vietnamese tradition, a young woman dressed in the traditional ao dai and wearing a conical hat symbolises beauty, purity, youth and an independent Viet Nam. Most images of contemporary and Kinh majority women in the museums visited showed these women wearing the ao dai, even though many contemporary women no longer wear this traditional dress for everyday use. Similarly, women guides and officers who work with museum audiences also wear the ao dai. Images of ethnic minority women dressed in their traditional ethnic clothing have other associations: exotic life and culture, together with poverty and deprivation. Often ethnic minority people prefer not to wear traditional clothing in big cities or outside their own communities, as they don’t want to be treated or seen as “the other”, “poor” or “exotic”. In contrast to most women depicted in images in the museums studied; 95 percent of men are shown wearing modern clothing. Only a very few pictures of ethnic minority groups show men or boys wearing traditional clothing. Again, as noted above, this serves to reinforce the association

2 Prof. Ho Ngoc Dai, lecture at Museum education workshop 21-22 April, 2009: How to work with schoolchildren from pedagogical and psychological perspectives.

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between women and traditional values and customs whereas men are associated with modernity and progress.

Images of family members

In the museums visited, there were hardly any depictions of grandfathers, second sons, daughters or relatives outside the nuclear family. Images of children are rare and they are only seen together with their mothers. Notably, traditional weddings are often portrayed in temporary exhibitions. Museum staff explain that these images are deliberately shown to promote exhibitions and balance often depressing and violent images of wartime. Museum curators explain that the theme of traditional weddings allows them to show colourful and beautiful objects, which audiences appear to enjoy and appreciate, and allows them to exhibit more objects associated with women in the museum. This, they note, also serves the purpose of “bringing women into the museum” as visitors. At the same time, it also serves to reinforce the association between women, marriage and the private sphere.

Balance between images of people and objects

The majority of collections in the museums visited depict men rather than women, or objects which are not explicitly associated with either sex. Many of the museums visited label exhibition items with brief indentifying information, while an explanation on how these objects have been used or who by, or who made them (i.e. a male or female artist) is not included. As noted above however, war is the dominant theme of the museums visited, and therefore a majority of the objects exhibited are created by and for men. The second most predominant theme is ethnic minority populations, and here detailed information is also lacking which would explain who used the objects and for what purpose. Only in the Women’s Museum is the balance reversed, here a majority of objects are used by women and around 85 percent of images depict women alone, in line with the museum’s objectives. In discussions with museum staff, it was often stated that the “gender museums” should concentrate on collecting and showing images and objects related to “gender themes” and this was not viewed as an important task for other museums. “Gender museums” refers to the two existing “women’s museums”, one in Hanoi and one in Ho Chi Minh City. These comments illustrate a common perception that subjects relating to the household, family and domestic life are the domain of women, and are not of relevance or interest to the wider museum community or its audiences. As discussed below, it also shows a limited understanding of gender differences and the need to tell different stories from the perspective of different people among museum staff. It also represents a missed opportunity to broaden the audience for museums and attract new visitors: exhibitions focused on the private sphere: such as houses and domestic life, fashion and clothing, family life and kinship and so on have proven to be very popular with museum audiences internationally. According to the visitor survey there is also an appetite for these kinds of representations among museum audiences in Viet Nam.

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At present in Viet Nam’s museums however, the focus remains largely on the public sphere and permanent collections in particular are usually more related to men’s worlds than women’s worlds. Often only a few items associated with women appear in the exhibition, but typically no explanation is given which would elaborate the role or involvement of women in relation to that object. Guides may be aware of the background to these objects but this information is not included in the written text. Temporary exhibitions do focus more on objects and themes relating to women, but this tends to be in a stereotypical manner, for example, Weddings and Love at War were among the topics of some of these exhibitions; reinforcing the association between women and romantic/domestic relationships and family life. Outdoor house exhibits often show domestic life however these typically focus on ethnic minority populations rather than on the Kinh/Hoa majority. Women are usually associated with these exhibits, and the houses exhibited are mainly equipped with objects associated with women including agricultural and domestic objects used by women. The work and life of men is not visible. There is considerable potential to re-evaluate and create greater balance in the depiction of the everyday life and roles of both men and women in these outdoor museum exhibits.

Gender imbalance in images and objects exhibited in museums, by theme

Summing up the discussion above, the following can be seen in exhibitions based on specific themes in the museums visited. Table 3: Exhibition Theme, Images and Objects Exhibition theme3 Images and objects of Images and objects of or or used by men used by women Ethnology: temporary exhibition on 82% 18% religion Ethnology: permanent exhibition on the 85% 15% Viet (Kinh) History of the region:permanent No people depicted No people depicted exhibition History of the city: permanent exhibition 95% 5% History of the city: permanent exhibition 87% 13% Vietnam at war (Women’s Museum): 10% 90% permanent exhibition Ethnology and history: temporary 15% 85% exhibition on weddings Vietnam at war: permanent exhibition 95% 5%

3 Each exhibition listed is either a temporary or permanent exhibition in a single museum. Note that the history of the city exhibitions listed appeared in two separate museums visited.

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Representing gender identities: how is normative masculinity and femininity being represented?

It is notable that the expression of gender identity through sexuality or sexual expression is not openly depicted in Vietnamese museums. This is consistent with the dominant representation of the public sphere in the museums visited: sexuality and sexual expression are considered to be particularly “private” and are therefore not depicted. Where marriage is represented for example in temporary exhibitions with “romance” or wedding themes this does not include any representation of active (hetero)sexuality. Heterosexual roles and relationships are exclusively represented, while non-heterosexual gender identities or relationships are completely invisible and not depicted. The museums studied are therefore actively reconstructing dominant gender roles and heterosexual identities. In the context of war and conflict men are largely depicted as doing the fighting, in leadership roles, as war victors and war heroes. In the domestic sphere, where it is represented, women and men are clearly associated with different tasks in line with traditional cultural values. For example, men worship the ancestors, while women undertake domestic work, raise children, and practice crafts such as weaving and embroidery. When women are represented in war, they are often shown as victims, passive, watching helplessly, saying goodbye to, or greeting their husbands or sons as they go to and from the battlefield. The Women’s Museum is the exception: showing two types of images of women in wartime. The larger collection of objects and images represents women as soldiers, war heroes, sacrificing themselves for the nation, becoming a legend or hero, and as active participants in the warfront. A second set of objects and images depicts women as wives and mothers; including love letters sent during the way, women as “Heroic Mothers”, mothers nurturing their children in underground tunnels. Contemporary images of women are also beginning to be shown in the Women’s Museum. These include women as independent and active figures, making their own decisions, participating in cultural life, starting businesses, educating themselves, and supporting their children on their own. Again, women also continue to be depicted as mothers and prominent figures in domestic life, reflecting women’s double role in production and reproduction. Some museums have also started to include phrases and quotes on text panels in their exhibitions. For example, one temporary exhibition about Catholics in Viet Nam includes quotes from 34 men and 14 women. In these quotes women are expressing their feelings, telling stories about their families and children, whereas men are quoted explaining about the Catholic religion, rules and customs. Men and boys are therefore depicted as active participants in religious and cultural life while women are shown as passive observers.

Traditional roles and practices

Viet Nam is primarily a patrilineal society, where descent is traced through the male line; and married couples usually reside with the husband’s family. Strong and persistent son-preference

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together with greater value being given to men in the family is a feature of this kinship system, and an underpinning factor in the way gender roles are constructed in Viet Nam, perpetuating gender inequalities within the family and household. These gender norms are widely and uncritically reproduced in the museums visited. For example, exhibitions focusing on contemporary issues and topics very seldom include women; while exhibitions based on existing museum collections largely present a male world and masculine society. Women are portrayed as having less power, less importance and are predominately associated with the domestic sphere and rural Viet Nam. These norms also influence the representation of ethnic minority cultures. There are three ethnic minority groups in Viet Nam, the Jarai, Ede and Cham, whose traditional social structure is matrilineal: their genealogy is based on the maternal line. The outside exhibition at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology includes three large matrilineal households, but the term matrilineal is mentioned in the description of only one of them (the Jarai Arap grave house) and no explanation of what it means is included. This building is elaborately decorated with sexually explicit carved figures of men and women, and pregnant women. Yet no information is available on these sculptures at the site. While more experienced tour guides do have the knowledge to discuss this issue with visitors, it is left to the group to raise questions, and the guide will then respond. An experienced tour guide commented that a discussion of matrilineal versus patrilineal kinship systems was “too theoretical to be discussed with groups, especially with school groups”. In the visitor survey at this museum one young respondent in the 12-17 year old age group said that the “statues around the tomb should be repaired or replaced so that sexes [sexual organs] are not seen.” This clearly indicates that an explanation of these figures and the different cultural values and system that produced them is required, even for younger visitors. These exhibits could provide an excellent opportunity to discuss different kinship systems and explore the dominant patrilineal family structure in Viet Nam. Failure to explore these differences tends to reinforce the idea that the dominant family system is normal and taken for granted and other practices and ways of living are aberrant. In traditional Vietnamese families there are many “prohibitions” and practices that contribute to and perpetuate women’s unequal status, some of which are mentioned in the ethnology exhibits visited, albeit only briefly. A few examples include: women are not allowed into the kitchen while they are menstruating, daughters-in-law are subject to a specific set of rules which are not applicable to other women in the family, and there is a specific place in the house reserved for newlyweds. Once again, no explanation of any of these practices is made available, which reinforces and normalises these practices and suggests they should be taken for granted. As noted earlier, women are most often represented in relation to their families, as mothers, grandmothers and daughters-in-law. The role of mothers is emphasised in all museums visited: heroic mothers, mothers overcoming destiny, mothers taking care of the home front during wartime, patriotic women. Mothers fostering and preserving cultural traditions within the family is a common theme. While men are sometimes represented as sons and husbands, they are also depicted as craftsmen and artisans or providing for the household. For example men are shown playing musical instruments, practicing water puppetry, hunting, selling conical hats, designing patterns for silk fabrics, constructing houses or making craft objects. While ethnic minority men are often shown near the family house or with children, it is notable than Kinh men in particular are

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very seldom depicted in connection with their family or children. Children and grandparents are rarely depicted and images of grandfathers are not evident.

Women’s and men’s contribution to society

Women’s everyday contribution to society and their families is not often depicted. As discussed earlier, few women are portrayed as war heroes compared to men. While history does acknowledge individual women as intelligence agents, journalists and soldiers, only occasionally do they appear in museum exhibitions, and usually their importance and role is not explained. For example, in one museum, four women were named – a spy; a brave woman messenger; a rich woman who delivered messages; and a woman who had owned a hand gun included in the exhibition – but no further detail about their story or experience was given. The Women’s Museum is the exception, with many images of heroic women, including those who served as officials, cadres and politicians during war-time. In general the Women’s Museum shows a much greater variety of images of women which portray them as role models, including women running profitable businesses, or leading industry; poor and disadvantaged women overcoming challenges to raise well educated children; street vendors supporting their families under difficult working conditions; and women scientists. In addition, images of women from history and legend are also exhibited, including Au Co and the Trung sisters (Hai Ba Trung), who led a revolt against early Chinese rule.

Gender balance in education and public programs

Often public programs targeting adults and families are staged as festivals, organised by museums in collaboration with cultural officials of the city where the museum is located. Activities include performing arts, formal ceremonies, traditional games, food stalls and traditional crafts. Men are more likely to attend games but other activities are attended by both men and women. Some museums have also developed temporary or travelling exhibitions which are staged outside museum premises, sometimes in remote areas; usually these involve visual images such as photographs. Some also arrange school visits in their local area. Educational activities and public programs staged within the museum premises are most often designed for a general public, while in some cases they specifically target children or families. Whether these activities are used to raise gender issues is not easy to assess, but these activities tend not to portray individuals or practices which are outside the ordinary conception of Vietnamese culture. Where gender issues are discussed it is usually with specific groups, such as veterans or the Women’s Union. Few museums have developed hands-on activities for school groups, summer school or craft- making activities. Where this does occur, it includes making clay models, weaving, colouring kites, painting masks, practising how to make conical hats or playing musical instruments. Some museum guides are aware that girls and boys may have different interests and that activities should be specifically tailored for each sex. Some museum staff also noted that they feel they need a better understanding of the psychology of different sexes and age groups.

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Recently the Women’s Museum has been actively targeting specific groups of women, including disadvantaged women, women street vendors, women soldiers and single mothers. The museum has been trying to represent the lives of different kinds of women and has also engaged in outreach activities where communities are involved in creating the exhibition rather than just being represented in it. The museum actively tries to reach men as well as women, through targeted marketing. More effort has been made to attract male visitors since currently few Vietnamese men visit the museum, and staff and management are keen to engage both men and women, emphasising that gender equality is “everybody’s business”.

Gender balance in publications, leaflets and web materials

Data collected on museum staff, discussed below, shows that there are more male researchers and heads of research units as well as more men with PhDs working in the museums studied. This has had a significant impact on publications, with more articles and books written by men than by women. Publications and leaflets produced for educational purposes are more likely to include text by women, largely because the majority of guides and educators are women. This pattern is also reflected in websites and brochures. Only two of the museums studied had websites: the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, www.vme.org.vn and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, http://hcmc- museum.edu.vn/. The material provided on these websites is very similar to that contained in the museum brochures and other publications.

Behind the scenes at the museum: discussions and interviews with museum staff

Discussions and interviews with staff largely focused on the exhibitions and educational programs provided by their museum, their professional and workplace experience, and their understanding of gender equality and the role of museums in promoting social change and gender equality.

Gender balance in the museum workforce

The museum workforce is a largely feminised one, with 190 women compared to 133 men working in the six museums studied. A breakdown of the museum workforce is included at Annex F and summarised in the chart below: essentially while there is gender balance among women and men in leadership roles, male staff tend to be more highly qualified than women are, and therefore tend to dominate in research roles while women predominate in roles that have contact with the public including as guides and educators. As the chart below shows, 17 percent (N=23) of men working in museums are in leadership positions, compared to 19 percent (N=36) of women.

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Figure 1: Gender profile of museum staff

Men Women

120 104 100 80 60 35 30 40 2220 19 25 15 10 11 17 20 4 3 6 Number of staff of Number 0 . A or BA M PhD Direct of Dept d High school ce a Vi e , H or Vocational school ce ect Vi ir D ead, H Education and position

While women predominate in leadership roles, 7.5 percent of men (N=10) have gained a PhD compared to only 1.5 percent (N=3) women. Most other staff, both men and women, held a MA or a BA Degree. When asked about what they had studied, the most commonly mentioned subjects were history, museum studies, foreign languages, literature, archaeology and humanities were most commonly mentioned by both men and women.

Feminisation of the museum workforce

The predominance of women in the museum workforce is directly related to gendered perceptions of women’s skills and aptitudes versus those of men. While some respondents expressed the view that men and women are equal, a majority pointed to gender differences to account for the predominance of women in museums. For example, when asked why there are most women than men working in museums, one manager responded that, “we have more women, because women are more careful, persistent and patient [while] men have less difficulty in working in conservation, research, collection; these require fieldwork and there are always these family issues.” Generally participants in the face to face interviews tended to emphasise that women make better museum staff than men, on the basis that they are more careful, and more social and therefore more able to interact with visitors. Strongly held beliefs that women are weaker and more likely to experience poor health were also expressed by both male and female respondents who argued that this may limit women’s ability to perform certain duties. It was also clearly stated that women face different challenges and difficulties in undertaking museum work, for example they have problems participating in field trips due to their primary responsibility for children and the home. Still, there was a general perception that women make better museum workers than men do. Museum managers stressed that women are good at collecting and caring for objects, and interacting with visitors, for example they were better at guiding and getting the most out of the audience. Women were also seen as more hard-working than men. In addition, museum work was viewed as less likely to be attractive to men as it is not well paid. Low rates of pay together with

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the difficulties women experience in undertaking fieldwork account for the feminisation of the museum workforce however gender stereotyping clearly plays a part. For example some managers said they would select a woman over a man if the candidates for a post were otherwise equal, due to women’s perceived superiority for museum work. At the same time, one manager commented that they wanted to recruit more male staff. “Most of [our] technical employees are women, but we need men as well. The scale between male and female is 5/ to 36, which is difficult for organizing exhibitions. …the work requires men’s strength and it is very difficult for us to mobilize male guards because they cannot leave their positions.” Gender-biased perceptions also influenced staff choices about museum work as a career, though participants expressed different views about this. Some respondents had sought a career in museum work because they were passionate about it; others because they had studied a relevant subject and a third group had ended up working for the museum by accident due to family connections or relevant opportunities which had come their way. Many respondents argued that gender-based differences influenced individual career choices in the museum sector. However, when asked about their own reasons for working in a museum, participants were much more likely to cite their interest in the subject, academic background, or opportunities becoming available as the reason, while gender-related factors were more often cited in relation to other people’s choices and the overall gender balance in the workforce. Respondents said that they chose a career in museums because of a passion for the work, or a general interest in museum work which led to a decision to study in a related field, and that this is not gender-specific. Many respondents said that they had chosen to work in a museum because they were interested in culture and history. For some it had been a lifelong dream. Others wanted to work with foreign languages and people, as one staff member said, “My background is in foreign languages therefore I find that the museum is a good place to practice and advance. I want to meet with people, to learn about their countries and to practice English that is why I decided to work at this museum.”

Gender-based division of labour

Museum managers did not perceive any significant difference in the division of labour between men and women in similar positions, with only one female leader noting that “there is no difference in common work but sometimes we need to ask men to do the heavy lifting.” In practice however there is a clear division of labour. Women are concentrated in jobs and undertake tasks that can easily be done within the museum and during working hours, including acting as tour guides and educators, and in conservation work caring for exhibits and objects. Men on the other hand are often responsible for conducting fieldwork and photo-shoots, in particular when these require a long time in the field. Men are also expected to handle heavy physical labour. These roles are strongly underpinned by the gender-biased attitudes and stereotypes discussed above. It is clear that there are strongly gender stereotyped perceptions of men and women’s aptitudes and capacity to undertake specific roles within the museum which both reflect and reinforce the current gender-based division of labour. Together with structural barriers which include lower rates of pay

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and women’s dual responsibility for paid and family work, these perceptions do limit women’s professional opportunities, however women are still able to access leadership positions in museums. At the same time men’s opportunities to work in the sector are also limited by prevailing stereotypes as well as structural barriers.

Policies on gender-related issues

Most museum managers, curators and staff members reported that their museum follows the Labour Code, and some museums also have in places protective measures for female staff members, for example women do not have to undertake fieldwork the first year after a baby is born (Article 115 of the Labour Code), or work with dangerous materials (Article 112 of the Labour Code). However some respondents pointed out that men are not able to take paternity leave (women are entitled to four months maternity leave). In cases where children are sick different practices apply. One female museum manager noted that there is no reduction in salary if a staff member is absent due to a sick child, but this benefit only applies to women. Another female manager mentioned that employees can access special leave if they have a sick child. Staff members reported that their salary is reduced if they take sick leave for a child4. None of the museums studied had in place any specific strategies or policies on gender issues. In common with other Vietnamese institutions however most museums do celebrate the International and National Women’s Days in March and October, commonly women are given gifts on women’s day. One female museum leader noted that they pay a small amount to women for “hygiene”, 5,000VND per month. Some museums arrange family days to attract both women and men. The Viet Nam Women’s Union arranges meetings for female staff to build women’s capacity at work and at home. In one museum a staff member reported that pregnant women are provided with a can of milk (formula) and are not required to work in storage areas or give tours from the seventh month of pregnancy. After maternity leave women in some museums can take 1-2 hours off each day (Article 115 of the Labour Code entitles women to take an hour a day to take care of babies under one year), and are not required to do hard work – the team covers the work that a mother of a newborn baby cannot do. Other related practices include that staff members can take leave if their spouse is sick, annual leave can be taken for family reasons if needed, or alternatively leave can be taken with a salary reduction. Finally it was noted by some participants that women were more likely to have medical check-ups than men, and are given time off for this.

4 The Labour Code, Article 117 provides that: “When taking leave of absence to attend pregnancy examinations; to carry out family planning programmes or to have medical treatment for miscarriage; to attend to a sick child under seven years of age; or to adopt a newborn baby, a female employee shall be entitled to social insurance benefits or to be paid by the employer a sum equal to the amount of social insurance benefits. The duration of the leave of absence and the allowance entitlement provided for in this clause shall be determined by the Government. Where another person looks after the sick child instead of the mother, the mother shall still be entitled to social insurance benefits”. At the same time, Article 24 of the Law on Social Insurance stipulates that parents who are covered by social insurance must be allowed to take leave in order to take care of their sick children based on allowable number of leave days for each parent, and they can take it simultaneously.

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One male curator said that he felt the museum workplace actually favoured women over men: “[The] labour law is more favourable for women. I just had a baby and had to use my annual leave….Generally men don’t talk about their difficulties and they have to fight for benefits. Men have to pick up kids but they don’t talk about this. Therefore [the] museum is more flexible for women.” This respondent also noted that pregnant women can be moved to other jobs, and men are expected to work more overtime and travel more frequently than women. This discussion reveals that museums are generally supportive to women as employees, within the framework of the Labour Code. Arguably however all benefits apart from those directly associated with pregnancy and breastfeeding should be available to both women and men in order to ensure work-life balance for both men and women and promote a more active role for men in the family.

Training on gender issues

Only one museum was planning to provide any training for staff on gender equality issues in the near future, funded by a foundation. The Viet Nam Women’s Union had provided some basic gender training to staff of this museum, and the Committee for the Advancement of Women (CFAW) had arranged a workshop on gender issues in another museum. The content of this workshop had been shared with other staff as well; covering issues such as women and work, labour law, domestic violence, HIV and AIDS, and women’s political participation. Staff of other museums had not received any training on gender issues offered by the museum and only a few participants mentioned receiving such training during their studies. Most participants agreed that there is a need to train staff on gender issues, both from the perspective of labour issues and staff policies, as well as exhibition content and design. Training should start from a very basic level and include how to integrate gender in different sectors in the museum, i.e. in collections and exhibitions. Training was seen as necessary as gender equality is a relatively new subject, and such training would also help to generate ideas for new exhibitions. For museum guides it was also seen as important to learn more about men and women’s roles in society.

Role of the museum in social change

Most respondents agreed that museums do have a role to play in social change, and can influence people’s thinking and attitudes. For example, one museum director said that “[A] museum is a means of communication, [which] can influence audiences if the work is well done”. Several participants also noted that museums have the power to influence children’s behaviour, and in some cases might also be able to influence gender norms and attitudes as well. Most participants felt that the primary role of museums is to educate visitors about Viet Nam’s history and culture, as well as Vietnamese tradition, and that museums can reinforce and support the educational role played by schools. It was also observed that it is the role of the museum not only to present but also to interpret history for its audiences, and that the way history is interpreted can change over time. It was noted by a staff member from the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology that their museum has played a very specific role in raising awareness among Vietnamese people about ethnic minority

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groups: “Before our museum opened Hanoians did not understand or know about ethnic minorities in Viet Nam and they were surprised how many ethnic groups there were. Now they know better and are no longer surprised.” The power of museum exhibits to reach people, touch them emotionally, and change people’s views was also mentioned by a few respondents. However, some participants felt that it was not the role of the museum alone to change behaviour or attitudes: this must be part of an overall effort by different actors. Several respondents also made specific comments to the effect that raising awareness of gender issues is not the role of their museum, as this Department Vice-Head put it, “gender issues are taught in schools, not in museums.” Other respondents, in particular staff of the Women’s Museum, felt that museums do have a role to play and could for example stage thematic exhibitions on gender issues such as domestic violence. Participants also observed that the role of the museum is changing, and that museums themselves need to be open and responsive to the social changes around them. Changing approaches have helped museums to attract new audiences, as this staff member notes: “In the beginning we did not have the interest of the Vietnamese audience. Over time we have introduced new ways to see the museum and gradually they have found the museum to be fun and interesting.” Some museum managers also saw their museum as part of an international community of cultural institutions, with a role to play in building relationships and promoting an understanding of Viet Nam both regionally and globally.

Role of museums in promoting gender equality

A variety of views were expressed as to the relevance of having gender issues on the museum agenda, both in relation to the museum’s work practices, and also exhibition design and content. As noted above, a number of participants did not see giving attention to gender issues as part of the role of their museum, as this was viewed as the responsibility of schools, and specialist museums such as the Women’s Museum. Other participants expressed the view that paying attention to gender issues could help museums to better understand and cater to their audience. Staff members working directly with visitors also saw paying greater attention to gender dimensions and the needs of different groups as part of doing a good job, as one staff member said: “I realise that through [different] historical periods, I see many women’s pictures, figures and images. I will tell visitors about contributions of our people, men and women through different time periods, and not only to appreciate men’s role.” A few participants acknowledged that they were paying more attention to gender issues that in the past, both in terms of staff management and workplace practices, and also in relation to exhibition content. Several saw opportunities to increase their focus on gender issues within “mainstream” exhibitions. Gender equality was also seen as a relevant topic given the predominance of women among museum staff and a number of respondents said that museums have a role to play in promoting gender equality in this respect. At the same time, some respondents also commented that their knowledge about gender equality was limited and they need more information, awareness and assistance in this area.

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For the Women’s Museum, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment is its primary purpose; and the Museum Director articulated this as follows: improving women’s participation in society, fighting against prejudice, giving greater voice to marginalised groups, and reaching as many people as possible through the museum and its activities. One staff member also raised the need to focus on the private sector and the problems women face in the domestic world, including sharing of domestic work within their families. It is evident that the museums studied fall along a spectrum from those which are more focused on the traditional role of the museum – disseminating propaganda and educating the people – to those where the role of the museum is understood to be more proactive, promoting social inclusion, and directly targeting those who are disadvantaged and marginalised in society.

Women’s position in museums: a vehicle for social change?

Participants were asked whether women’s position and role in museums could be used to promote social change. This appeared to be a difficult question for some participants to answer, and a variety of views were expressed. Among museum management, several leaders thought that more female leaders were needed, and women should be supported to develop as leaders, through both gender mainstreaming in museums and gender balance in leadership roles. Another noted that it was difficult for women to access leadership positions, and women leaders would face challenges for example, if they had a higher position than their husband. Another manager reinforced this view, citing an example of a woman who had been offered a promotion but turned it down. Another vice-director stressed that qualifications and experience are and should be more important than the person’s sex. Staff members had similarly divergent views. Some stressed the importance of a positive reputation and prestige in leadership positions, over either technical expertise or the person’s sex. Others stressed the importance of technical expertise, vision, management skills and ability to develop the museum: “I think capacity is more important than gender when it comes to leadership”. One respondent said that while women are capable of being leaders they were too focused on detail and not on “results”; while another stressed the importance of preserving femininity even when in a leadership position. Several staff members felt it was important to have women leaders, as one staff member said: “I think nowadays women play important roles, not just men. So far, we have appreciated men’s role, but [we] still need women’s participation. There must be both male and female in order to be harmonious.”

Views on unequal retirement age

Museum staff and management were also asked about their views on Viet Nam’s unequal retirement age5. Respondents expressed diverse views about the current retirement age policy, with

5 Currently, Article 145 of the Labour Code specifies that: “An employee who satisfies the following criteria with respect to age and period of participation in social insurance shall be entitled to pension benefits as follows: “(a) Sixty (60) years of age in the case of a male and fifty five (55) years of age in the case of a female. The retirement age of an

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mixed views among male and female participants and those in different roles. One group of respondents thought the policy was clearly unfair and should be changed – women, in particular those in senior positions were more likely to hold this view. As one museum leader said, “I think this is a waste of intellectual resources. Women above 55 often have a lot of work experience and are at the pinnacle of their career. Even for manual labourers, we should have at least two options: retire, or transfer to another department that requires less strenuous work.” A second group felt it was acceptable as it reflects “natural” differences and women’s perceived tendency to greater physical frailty, and also rewards women for their hard work on the home front as well as in unpaid employment. This quote from a male staff member reflects this point of view: “Women have a lot of responsibilities and by retiring early they can enjoy their life better. …I believe early retirement for women is good, because they give birth to babies and have many other roles. This way they have one less duty...” A third group made more qualified comments, proposing that it should depend on individual circumstances; and should also vary according to the type of employment. For example, as this staff member said: “It’s a pity! I think the policy should be more flexible so that women can retire at [either] 50 or 60, depending on their health status. I don’t think the age of retirement for women should be equal to that of men, the most important [thing] is their health and capacity.”

Understandings of Gender Equality

Finally, participants were asked to define what they thought gender equality means. Again, a diversity of views was evident. Most respondents did have an understanding of gender equality as a principle, even though some qualified it according to their own gender-related attitudes and beliefs. Several themes emerged. One was that while men and women are equal in principle, and in general are able to undertake equal work, gender inequality persists within the household. At the same time, a number of participants stressed that gender differences also influence men and women’s capacities to undertake different kinds of work and should be taken into account. Some participants also said that they believed gender inequality to be more persistent in rural areas than in cities. The following quotes illustrate some of these points: Male leader: “In general roles of women and men are the same. We strive [for] equity [through] training, education and higher education. But there are certain areas where we prefer men or women: [such as] museum education and external relations. In that work women are more successful; [a] male guide is not as good as a female. Men are more suitable for laborious work, where they move heavy objects and fieldwork is also suitable for men.” Female leader: “Gender Equality is relevant in [the] family; domestic violence is a big issue. We need equality in [the] family. There are natural qualities for women and men. Work should be based on the capacity of a person.”

employee who has worked in heavy or toxic jobs, or in mountainous regions, in border regions, or on offshore islands, and in a number of other special cases shall be determined by the Government”.

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Female leader: “At work: [the] museum should pay attention to issues which are dominated by men. At home: men [should] share work with women so women have more time to [do] community work and to develop themselves. At [the] policy level: more regulations favouring women are needed, so women can become more confident in society.” Female curator: “At work we should stop thinking in stereotypes and stop thinking [in] traditional ways. Men and women can do the same jobs: women can do men’s work and men can do women’s work. At home this is more [of] a problem: we should have more sharing of housework. Today many women have their own careers and they also have to do the housework.” Male staff member: “In [the] museum we have gender equality. In [the] family - it depends on the family. I have a feeling that there is more gender equality in cities than in the countryside. Male staff member: I am not sure if women want to have equality in the museum. Women don’t want to have fair division of task – they don’t want to do laborious work (carrying staff, etc.). Mentally they are weaker, but they want to have the same benefits. I wish we had more knowledge [of the] psychology [of] men and women to understand the differences better. For me, gender equality has to be in everything: men and women are equal, also at home. We have to share from both sides. Young men know more about gender equality and our tasks are quite equal.” As this discussion has shown, while there is a reasonable understanding of gender equality as a principle, in practice respondents had quite divergent views about the role of museums in promoting gender equality, as well as the value of women in leadership roles. This clearly indicates the importance of providing gender equality training to museum staff and managers.

The visitor experience: audience surveys

The following section briefly discusses the findings from the 190 museum visitors who participated in the visitor survey. A majority of participants attended the museum with others: 42 percent of respondents attended with friends (42 male visitors and 37 female visitors), 30 percent with family members (29 male visitors and 27 female visitors) and 6 percent in a group (7 male and 4 female visitors). Only 23 percent attended alone (16 male and 28 female visitors). However, the survey team found it difficult to interview visitors in large groups, as they were usually on a tight schedule. Most respondents were visiting the museum for the first time (53 percent), 32 percent had already visited (between one to five times), while 15 percent had visited more than five times. There was no difference between male and female visitors in this respect. Most visitors had been encouraged by someone else to attend. 35 percent had been encouraged to go by family members (32 female and 34 male visitors), 15 percent had been recommended to go by a teacher (14 male and 14 female visitors), 8 percent had seen it advertised in a newspaper (4 male and 12 female visitors) and 6 percent on the Internet (8 male and 3 female visitors) while 3 percent (1 male and female visitors) had seen another type of advertisement. 34 percent (35 male and 29 female visitors) said they had found out about it through another source.

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Reasons for visiting the museum

The main reasons for visiting the museum were as follows: 50 percent came “to gain general knowledge on history, culture and the museum”, 18 percent “to relax or just visit the museum” and 15 percent “to bring friends/family members to the museum”. There was no significant difference between men and women in these responses. Some (5 percent) were there to visit a specific exhibit (7 males and 3 female visitors) and 3% percent were there to “practice language and communication skills” (1 male and 4 female visitors).

Visitor satisfaction and experience

In terms of satisfaction with their experience, visitors were shown a simple scale from 5 points for a very successful visit to 1 point for a dissatisfying experience. As it was understood that visitors don’t wish to be critical in front of the museum staff, this question was posed using a simple satisfaction scale rather than asking a more direct question. The majority of visitors gave 4 or 5 points, an average of around 4 points for those who responded (see Table 4 below). Table 4: Visitor satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, disaggregated by sex All museums Scale 1 = very 2 3 4 5 = very No comment Total dissatisfied satisfied Male 0 6 7 15 13 2 43 Female 0 2 7 12 13 4 38 Total 0 8 14 27 26 6 81

Men were slightly more critical than women, and by age group, 12-17 year olds were most satisfied and least critical, while those aged 30-54 were more critical. Visitors were also asked what they had learned from the exhibit. Men and women gave similar answers, depending on the individual museum context. They said they had learned about Viet Nam’s history including colonialism; war and ordinary people’s experience of it; ordinary people’s lives in different cultural and historical periods; the history and traditional practices of specific cities and/or localities; ethnic minority cultures, customs and practices and the diversity of Vietnamese people and cultures. Women were particularly likely to notice and appreciate different representations of women in various museums. As one male visitor said in response to this question, “Civilization is not only made [up] of the Kinh, but all ethnic groups united to fight foreign invaders. It is [a] really timely issue: if ethnic groups are not treated equally there [will] be problems. Therefore, [we] need to have policies that prevent great [disparities]. Evidently the museums studied are serving what many see as their primary purpose, to educate and inform Vietnamese citizens about their own history and culture. When asked about what they thought could be improved, the 18-29 age group gave the most dynamic responses. They requested more representations of everyday life, more of men sharing work with women, and more representations of women in the development process. They were also more likely than other respondents to comment negatively on visitor comfort, such as poor lighting and limited or inadequate guidance. Children and teenagers were more likely to mention objects and how they

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were displayed, with younger visitors often commenting on museum objects, pictures, scale models etc and the extent to which these reflect the “real world”. They also cared more about the “look” of the objects, for example whether the mannequin was “beautiful” or not. The 55 and over age group were least critical and responsive when asked this question. They expressed the view that more of the past should be displayed in the exhibitions. Overall, the main complaints expressed in different museums were as follows:  Lack of information, in-depth explanation. In some cases, labels are too small; some objects are not labeled at all.  No guide available/no-one to ask questions to.  Lack of signage, difficulty findings exhibits, museum floor plan unclear, no map available.  Lack of space.  Exhibits unrealistic, out of date, degraded, or fake.  Museum hot/poorly lit/being renovated.  Objects dusty and not well preserved. Clearly, based on these observations, the museums studied can do more to make the museum experience a positive one for their visitors. Attention to basic information such as floor plans, clearer and more detailed labelling of exhibits and objects, and availability of well-informed guides to answer questions would make a significant difference for many visitors. Visitors were also asked about the depiction of men and women, boys and girls, and gender roles. Some visitors commented that women and men’s images were missing, that it was not clear who had used which objects, that gender roles were not clearly explained in relation to the exhibition. Others felt that there was a lot of information and objects on display about women – in particular visitors to the Ethnology Museum, and the Women’s Museum. When asked what additional representations they would like to see, visitors commented that they wanted to see more on women’s role in development and in different historical periods, the role of men and women in the family including gender equality in the family, more on women’s contribution to Viet Nam’s history and culture, more on men (in the Women’s Museum), more on the different ethnic minority groups and women’s very important role in some ethnic minority groups, more representations of women and men in everyday life including men’s role in the family, and more on contemporary economic development and its impact, for example the development of new economic processing zones. When asked about the “untold stories” of both Vietnamese men and women, and how museums could better represent these, it was suggested by one male visitor that “the life of each sex in different time periods should be presented through photographs and drawings”. Other visitors noted the need to tell the story of the Kinh majority and their family relations, how to raise children, and women in different historical periods. Several female respondents talked about the need to show daily life, women and men’s work at home and in paid employment and income generation, “sentimental life”, real everyday life, and objects used by both sexes in ordinary life such as clothing, shoes, and jewellery. Some visitors said however that this was the task of women’s

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museums, not local or history museums. Overall however, this clearly points to an interest among museum visitors, in particular women, in “everyday life” and the domestic sphere, the very topics that some museums staff think it is “not their job” to display or investigate. Finally, visitors were asked what representations from their own personal life could be represented in a museum. While many respondents struggled to answer the question, perhaps because they did not feel their own lives were “worthy” of representation, others talked about personal creative works such as poems and novels, fashion and clothing from different periods and the person’s own life, family life, work, raising children, social and volunteer work, “memories of childhood during the war”, memories represented through dairies and pictures, memories of school and of life in specific historical periods, photographs through the lifecycle, objects and images of resistance, musical instruments and other personal objects such as sports gear, school bag, camera etc, special objects and artefacts passed down through the family, travel photographs, objects of childhood such as a catapult, school materials, objects from daily life, and so on. What is especially interesting about these responses is the rich variety of images and ideas proposed, and how personal they are. Those museums that were already representing personal stories were most likely to elicit these kinds of responses. However, once again they do suggest the value and worth of representing that which is deeply personal, including memories, stories, and personal images and artefacts, alongside what is public and a matter of historical record. In summary, it appears clear that museum-goers are looking for a different experience. They want more contemporary exhibitions, which incorporate both more socially inclusive themes and ideas such as gender equality and the role of women in society, but also more personal ones, such as memory and personal histories. Visitors are genuinely looking for information and knowledge and are keen to interact and discuss exhibition content with the museum staff. Younger adults in particular have higher expectations, were more direct in their responses, and appeared to be more open to discussing gender equality and related issues. This study therefore suggests that there is a lot more museums can do to attract visitors, in particular those in younger age groups, and that the more traditional museums in particular can do more to engage their visitors by providing more detailed information and guidance, representing the experience of different people and different historical periods and cultures, and including a more personal “story-telling” element to their exhibitions. Some museums are already experimenting with these kinds of approaches but can potentially do even more in future. The following, concluding section, provides more detailed recommendations in this regard.

D. Conclusion and Recommendations

“[The] museum itself has to change ... we need to learn from other museums overseas... Museums have to learn how to adapt to the needs of the audience.” - Museum Leader

This small-scale investigation of six of Viet Nam’s museums has revealed considerable variety in the way each museum approaches its role, the attitudes and beliefs of museum staff, and the experience visitors have when they attend the museum. Some museums already actively recognise

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gender equality issues in the context of workplace management and relations, and in developing exhibits, although this was not always strongly recognised by visitors. However, many clearly lack capacity and knowledge about how to effectively integrate gender equality into the museums’ practices, in particular in designing and staging exhibitions. Some conservative and biased views about women’s capacity, and the importance of gender issues were evident among some museum managers and staff. In general, however, the museum is a fairly equal workplace, and museum staff interviewed were largely forward-looking, as museums clearly have an interest in developing, modernising and attracting more visitors. Museums also recognise that attention to women’s rights and gender-based discrimination can help to make the visitor experience more positive, and support museums to become more modern and up-to-date in their practices. It is relatively commonplace for countries with a traumatic political history or struggle for independence to use cultural institutions such as museums to present a nationalist view of history and support propagandist strategies, for at least several decades, as has been the case in Finland, Estonia, Germany, Singapore and China, to name but a few. Museums in Viet Nam are still responsible, under both the Law on Culture and the National Strategy for Cultural Development, for disseminating propaganda to the Vietnamese people. However, more recently, some Vietnamese museums have been assigned new tasks by government, for example, arranging educational tours and activities for school children, organising regional festivals, and sending museum guides to give history lessons at local schools. Currently, new museums are being established, and existing museums are undergoing large-scale renovations in Viet Nam. At the same time there is a general trend among museums, local authorities and the MoCST to re-evaluate the role and purpose of museums. In particular the educational role of museums is now being more strongly emphasised, and the work being done with schools and their young pupils is leading the way. This is an exiting time in the development of Viet Nam’s museums, and there are clearly new opportunities for museums to continue to strengthen their focus on social inclusion, gender equality and ensuring a more positive experience for their visitors, including the younger generation. Recommendations follow below for how museums, the MoCST and UNESCO can strengthen this effort, in order to inform future planning. Recommendations for future research on gender and museums in other countries are also included. Looking forward, it is intended that MoCST, relevant institutions and decision-makers will be informed about the results and scope of the present study. Praise is certainly due for the impetus and high-level achievements that the museums studied have accomplished to date in the field of gender equality. However, decision-makers and educational institutions need to be reminded that a long-term, robust vision for museum staffing and education is critical to sustain and build on current conditions. Notably, ensuring women can access higher-level positions in museums, and enabling work conditions and regulations need to be put in place. In education curricula for cultural heritage management and museology the necessity of studying and understanding history with a critical eye, and of representing women’s social, historical and cultural contribution via museum practices should be highlighted. In particular, there is significant potential in museums that are undergoing renovation and development to include aspects of intangible heritage and highlight the significant role of women as transmitters of this heritage. For example, new museography and scenographical itineraries and exhibitions could be established in

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order to promote inclusion of women’s role in cultural heritage transmission and preservation in museums.

Collections and exhibitions

Overall, this analysis has found that most museums largely concentrate on wars, and the reconstruction of Viet Nam following the end of armed conflict. Both collections and exhibitions are often dominated by male experience and objects used by men, and stereotypical images and representations of both men and women are evident. There is an overall imbalance between men and women’s “worlds” in the museums studied, with the public, nationalist, modern world associated with men, while the private, domestic and rural worlds are predominantly associated with women. Often women’s worlds are not represented at all. There is an inherent challenge for Viet Nam’s museums in representing the dominant culture and historical narrative. On the one hand, this culture and history, which is derived from a set of patrilineal social norms and behaviours in which men are valued over women, and sons preferred to daughters, does need to be represented accurately as a historical and cultural fact, and on the other hand it must also be open to question and analysis, and alternative histories and stories presented. Efforts by the Viet Nam Women’s Museum and the Ethnology Museum to do this have been very positively received by audiences. Closely related is the need to include more contemporary, personal stories and experiences, which audiences are clearly interested in seeing, and which would also open up opportunities to explore, for example, women’s contribution to Viet Nam’s history and current development, as well as men’s role in the family and domestic life. Life stories and memories of people from different backgrounds, cultures, locations, and at different points through the lifecycle could also be presented using everyday objects, images, stories, diaries, and letters etc. A more critical perspective and a more active effort to represent and analyse dominant Kinh cultural practices and norms would also be of interest to museum goers. As the visitor survey shows, museum audiences are clearly ready to see more equal representations of women and men, both in historical contexts and in relation to contemporary themes. The audience should not be left to interpret the objects and images, rather good labelling, informative texts, and active and informed guidance should be available, based on quality research, and tailored to the interests and needs of different audiences. There is considerable scope for museums to be more objective, creative and open in this regard. Recommendation One: Support research on gender issues in relation to museology and the study of Vietnamese culture, history, war, politics, and education.  Establish a specific research program, and a professorship, in partnership with relevant research institutes and museum studies programmes, and in cooperation with the international community (i.e. UN, international universities, international researchers and consultant experts, and international foundations).  Develop and include a specific module on gender analysis in the museum studies curriculum, again drawing on relevant international expertise.

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Recommendation Two: Re-evaluate existing museum collection strategies and policies in line with new research and theory developed under Recommendation One above.  In the first phase, select 2-3 museums to pilot this new approach from among the newly emerging museums and major museums currently undergoing reconstruction and renovation. Support from museum leadership should be a pre-requisite for selection of museums to participate in this pilot.  In the second phase, develop a national audit system, with support from international experts, to monitor, evaluate and support integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment in museum collections and exhibitions.  Share examples of best practices with the international museum community, via international conferences and academic events, in order to disseminate and discuss Viet Nam’s experience. Recommendation Three: Develop ‘pilot’ exhibitions to elaborate and highlight the relation between gender equality issues and museums.  Identify 2-3 museums willing to pilot exhibitions specifically focusing on how museums have represented gender relations and norms in their field over time (for example in war, in local history, in ethnic minority cultures). These should include museums in bigger cities, but also provincial or local museums where interaction with the general public can take place. Pilot exhibitions should to be established in bigger cities but also in provincial or local museums, where interaction with the general public can take place.  Support benchmarking of these exhibitions with similar exhibitions and collections internationally and arrange study tours abroad for museum directors and staff to see examples of such ‘self-reflective’ exhibitions.

Museum education and outreach activities

UNESCO and MoCST are currently running a series of training courses on museum education programs for pilot museums (2009-2010). Based on these pilots, educational tools and processes developed will be shared by publishing a book on pilot programs developed during the training. Gender sensitization is incorporated into this training, which represents a good beginning for developing models and local practices for Vietnamese museums and their clients: local visitors, schools and families in the first instance.

Recommendation Four: Support museums to develop educational policies and practices  Continue to provide training to and support museum educators, including by arranging annual workshops, internet-based networking, and sharing best practices for all Vietnamese museums. The MoCST and international counterparts should provide financial support while the participating museums take responsibility for organising these activities. Gender sensitization should continue to be a key component of this training and sharing of best practices.

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 Support museums to be more open and interactive with the local, surrounding museums, acting as community centres that not only organise exhibitions and events for schools, but also stage festivals, invite contributions from local, non-expert populations representing specific community needs and interests. Recommendation Five: Support mutual understanding and cooperation between museums and schools  Organize meetings and discussions between museums and schools at the local level to discuss the practical requirements and needs of both sets of institutions. This should be led by pilot museums and the conclusions and outcomes shared via the museum educator’s network.  Disseminate information such as museum guidelines for education and methods for working with school groups, relevant school curriculum and guidelines for arranging out of school activities.

Audience research

While both museum staff and visitors found it useful to participate in the visitor survey, much more can be done by museums to understand and seek feedback from their audience. UNESCO Hanoi will share this report and the information collected via the visitor survey with the museums studied, on the basis that this knowledge will be used to improve museum activities and audience engagement in the future. At the same time, it is recommended that UNESCO supports capacity- building with museums to deepen their understanding and targeting of their audiences. This includes both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Basic data should be collected on all visitors, visitors should be encouraged to give informal feedback via visitor books and suggestion boxes, and on an annual basis a more in-depth quantitative and qualitative survey should be administered to a sample of the visitor population, with support from international experts. Recommendation Five: Organise training and capacity building for museums to undertake, analyse and use audience research to improve the museum experience  Organise expert training on audience research with museum staff and management, to demonstrate the advantages of developing a database on existing visitors and a better understanding of their audience, needs, expectations and feedback.  Train key staff in quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis in order to be able to implement and use research methods and results.  Support study tours/exchanges with leading international museums to experience how audience feedback is used for museum planning and exhibition design.  Develop and publish a simple tool-kit and guidelines for visitor research in museums, including the use of sex-disaggregated data and demographic information, for dissemination to all Vietnamese museums.

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Gender equality training for museum staff

As noted in the discussion on the research findings above, there is a need for tailored gender equality training for museum staff, so that they are able to recognise gender dimensions and analyse gender issues from the design stage onwards, depict women and men both within traditional and historical roles, but also in more non-conventional ways, explore contemporary themes and issues, and address current issues such as domestic violence and migration, which have been identified as significant in social research as well as in current Vietnamese gender legislative and policy frameworks discussed in Section B of this report. It will be particularly important to target museum research staff, curators, collectors and directors as they are the staff who make decisions on exhibition content, collect and analyse objects, and guide museum staff in implementation of equal practices and work performance. However it will be important to also target the general staff of the museum in order to really make a difference. It is recommended that UNESCO develop such training, in consultation with MoCST and relevant UN agencies. Recommendation Six: Develop gender training modules for museum staff, combining theory and practice, and roll out training for all national and major sub-national museums  Design and develop tailored training modules suitable for museum staff.  Organise training workshops for museum staff, starting with researchers, curators, collectors, educators and guides, in collaboration with the UN and MoCST.  Develop a practical toolkit, booklet, and web-page to provide practical information and guidance, together with examples of good practice, for the use of museum professionals.  On an annual basis, recognise museums, individual exhibits, and individual staff that have successfully implemented a positive approach to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Museums’ personnel policies and staff awareness of gender issues

Most participants in the study appeared to have a general understanding of gender issues in the workplace, including work-life balance policies such as maternity and paternity leave, sick leave to care for children and family members, and other related rights, but there also appear to be some misunderstandings about how these policies are being applied in practice. An introduction to entitlements under Vietnamese law and the individual policies of each museum could usefully be included in an awareness-raising session on gender equality or in the gender equality training proposed above. It was very clear in interviews that many staff, regardless of their position, or sex, have strong gender biases and prejudices regarding the division of labour and women’s capacity to undertake certain tasks within the museum workplace. To a certain extent these do favour women, as they are often preferred for positions which have contact with the public but at the same time strong discriminatory attitudes regarding their capacity are evident and are attributed to their childbearing role and domestic responsibilities. Women are seen as weaker physically and in terms of their health and as unable to undertake fieldwork due to their maternal role. These beliefs should be

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discussed among the staff and management with the support of a gender specialist with strong facilitator skills, to ensure that women are supported to take up opportunities and promote work-life balance. At the same time the expectation that men should do all the hard physical work, overtime, and travelling because of their sex should be challenged and refuted. Recommendation Seven: Organise gender equality workshops and training sessions in museum studies in universities focusing on museology as a career  Discussion of museum work as a career, why museums attract less men than women, and options for women and men in museum careers could be started in gender equality training within museums and expanded to include universities which have museum studies programmes, as part of the recruitment process for new staff. These sessions should stress the need to have both women and men involved in the professional work of museums. Recommendation Eight: Organize gender equality training for museum staff  Basic training on gender equality issues, including gender stereotyping, gender roles and norms, should be provided to museum staff, together with active capacity building opportunities for both male and female staff, and support for women staff to take-up non- traditional roles and responsibilities.  With the assistance of UNESCO HQ, develop a “gender programming lens toolkit” to assist national and local authorities, ministries of culture, and museum staff to address gender equality, including women’s participation in decision-making, underlining the need to consider all policies and programmes according to their gender impact.

Future Research

This study is a ‘pilot’ which it may be of interest to other UNESCO offices to replicate. For any future studies, it will be important to draw on the experience of UNESCO Hanoi and the consulting team in undertaking the present study. Recommendation Nine: Ensure a robust methodology and approach to similar studies on gender and museums in other countries  It is challenging to find consultants with skills and capacity in relation to museums, research methods, gender analysis, and the overall cultural policy and gender policy context in any country. A multi-disciplinary team should be selected, and sufficient time and resources allowed for the study to be completed and the data analysed.  In addition to the issues studied in the present report, it is recommended to also investigate the reconstruction and representation of different gender identities and heterosexuality vs other forms of sexuality and sexual expression in more depth, as these dimensions are key to understanding how gender roles, identities and norms are reflected and reinforced in museums as cultural institutions.  If possible, the methodology used could be supplemented with a short on-line or written survey of a wider sample of museums on key research questions, with the in-depth study of a small sample of museums as a complementary, more qualitative component of the

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research. This would ensure the data gathered is more comparable and not only relevant to a small number of museums.  Although the data collected is primarily qualitative, it should nevertheless be rigorously documented and analysed in line with international standards for qualitative research. In the case of the museum visits this would include taking photographs of exhibits studied, preparing detailed notes on all observations made which refer to specific exhibitions, objects, labels etc, and also capturing images of other documents such as brochures and publications. These images could then be used in the final report to illustrate points made for the reader.  In respect of the face to face interviews, it is recommended that simple qualitative data analysis methods be used to ensure that points are not lost or misrepresented. This might include using qualitative analysis software or a simple data display method for a small number of interviews. These techniques are readily understood and available in the research community.  In regard to the visitor survey it is suggested that the survey is conducted at the end of the visit and the quantitative and qualitative questions asked of all respondents to ensure a more representative dataset is generated.

Recommendations to Member States and the UN staff

The ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums (2006) is a valuable resource for all museums. The whole ethos of the code continues to be that of service to society, the community, the public and a museum’s various constituencies, together with ensuring the professionalism of museum practitioners. The Code of Ethics has been translated into Vietnamese and disseminated to all museums in cooperation with UNESCO and the MoCST. However, the research team found that this code of ethics is still not widely recognized or used as a standard for museum ethics in Viet Nam. The educational role of museums in Viet Nam has been more widely recognised in recent years; and this trend should be fostered with support from both a theoretical perspective, as well as sharing of examples of good practice from overseas museums. Gender can be successfully integrated into the educational programmes of museums, as well as in museum exhibitions, and among museum staff. As museums and research institutions in Viet Nam have not yet developed research programs on gender, culture and museums, this is an initiative that requires support, ideally from the UN and Member States. Recommendation Ten: Continue to promote an understanding and adoption of international standards, best practices and ethics among Vietnamese museums  Promote the ICOM Code of Ethics to Viet Nam’s museums in a sustainable way via networks, conferences, museum studies etc.  UNESCO to act as lead organiser of gender training for museums in partnership with MoCST and UN gender specialist staff, and develop toolkits and guidelines accordingly.

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 UNESCO to coordinate access to the expertise and support of member states for museums to receive refined methods for researching, designing and staging gender-sensitive exhibitions and collection acquisition. Advanced research on gender equality could also lead to new evaluations and interpretations of cultural and historical data and information.

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Annexes

Annex A: Terms of Reference

Gender analysis of the culture sector (focus on museums) in Viet Nam

Background

The high priority accorded to Goal Three of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)—‘Promote gender equality and empower women”—is an affirmation of the international support for women’s rights and gender equality as core values of development. In the context of the UN reform process in Vietnam, the UN Country Team is investing considerable resources in gender mainstreaming of the One Plan. Taking into account this importance, a comprehensive gender audit was carried out in 2008. As regard to culture, the conclusion was that the culture program is gender blind. To address this, UNESCO Hanoi Office has assigned a project officer in the culture section to be the gender focal point for culture (in addition to the Office wide gender focal point). Moreover, the Office has been actively working with Gender PCG and Human Rights Working Group to harmonize mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues (gender, human rights based approaches and culture) in training, tools and policy advice to government. However, the intimate relationship between culture and gender has yet to become a major policy concern due to the lack of gender analysis of the culture sector in Vietnam, i.e. identifying and understanding the key issues.

Therefore, a gender analysis of the culture sector, with a focus on museums, is needed to inform the Common Country Assessment and the planning of One Plan 3, which is scheduled at the end of 2009. Due to the limitations of resources, it has been decided to focus - in the first place - on the museum sector.

In response to the evolving role of women and girls in societies, museums around the world have begun to address a broader spectrum of interests and concerns, which reflect the vital contribution of women in society. The importance of interpreting history from a gender perspective, displaying domestic life in museums and exploring the meaning of gender for cultural heritage – they all bring new scopes for museum work. Many museums have updated their policies to address the representation of men and women in museum collections and public programmes. Nevertheless, despite significant change in the last two decades, gender issues are not systematically addressed in museum collections, research, publications, and staff policies; thus stereotypical representations of men and women continue to exist. While some museums have taken positive steps to address such issues, others have yet to recognise them.

In the domains of cultural heritage, the stereotypical representations of men and women remain key issues. Women are often relegated to the informal economy and network of relations, which are central to sustainable development but lack public and formal recognition. There is enormous potential for museums to become institutional forums to promoting gender equality. Some museums may introduce ongoing programs to ensure that gender equality remain on the agenda, while others may implement gender-sensitive policies in regard to personnel. This gender analysis allows us to take into account the above mentioned questions in the museums in Vietnam. Moreover, because museums are considered vehicles for dispersing informal education, the proposed gender analysis echoes the work undertaken by UNESCO Hanoi on gender stereotypes in education.

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Objectives

To address and correct the gender blindness of the culture program, in line with UNESCO's Gender Equality Global Priority as developed in the 34 C/4, a gender analysis of museums in Viet Nam will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of what the issues are in the culture sector in Vietnam with a focus on museums, in order to be able to put into place appropriate evidence-based strategies.

The results of this analysis will be used by UNESCO to formulate gender mainstreaming strategies in culture and culture activities for 34 C/5 / 35 C/5, and by UNCT to incorporate into the CCA and One Plan 3.

The methodology adopted will be documented in a publication in order to help other Field Office colleagues conduct a similar gender audit of their culture Sector activities.

Scope

The gender analysis of the museum sub sector will be conducted from March 15 2009 to June 15 2009, including a 14-day fieldtrip in Hanoi and HCMC, Vietnam.

In addition to the analysis of government policies, strategies, and recommendations on gender balance and gender representation in museums in Viet Nam, the proposed gender analysis will particularly include the following components:

1. Conduct a content analysis and assess collections, exhibits (both permanent and temporary), education and public programs, display text and publications a. Are the lives of men and women in all their diversity adequately represented? Are both men’s and women’s concerns & perspectives incorporated into museum programs? b. Are men and women represented in their own right? Are gender identities expressed through museums collections? c. Whose heritage does the museum collect and represent? d. Do the collections describe the different ways in which men and women understand and use the artefacts? e. Does the documentation of collections acknowledge men’s and women’s roles, including those which traditionally have been undervalued or overlooked? f. Do the traditions and heritage presented in the display value men’s and women’s rights and contributions? g. Are men and women defined as individuals or primarily represented through their relation to others as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters? h. Does the museum work with any women’s organization and encourage their ongoing participation? i. Do the text and publications patronize men and women? j. Are both men and women artists/creators exhibited? 2. Assess the museum’s personnel policies: gender balance among museum staff as well as their approach to gender issues a. What is the ratio of men/women in the museum staff and at which levels do they work? What is the ratio of men/women in leadership? Is there a difference in training and professionalism between men and women? b. What are the museum’s policies on gender-related issues, such as anti- discrimination, equal opportunities, family-friendly policies?

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c. Are there any gender differences in the reasons why male and female staff choose museum work? d. Did the staff receive any training regarding gender issues? e. Is the staff aware of the educational power of museums on people’s mindset, including gender issues? f. What can curators/museum leaders/museum staff do to help gender equality and women’s empowerment? g. How to use women’s positions in museums as instruments for societal change?

3. Conduct a survey of visitors and/or interview them in order to have disaggregated data by sex, age, ethnicity/nationality and measure impacts on individuals. This information would help capture transformative potential of museums a. What is their motivation for coming to the museum? b. Which messages and representations of men and women do they retain from the exhibits? And why? c. “How” do they go to museums (alone, with children, accompanied by a partner, etc.)?

Methodology

A team comprised of an International Consultant on Museum Studies as team leader, an International Consultant on Gender, and a National Consultant on gender or museum studies will undertake this gender analysis. In order to conduct the gender analysis, the research team will adopt and adjust UNESCO tools developed for the analysis of educational content. The methodology includes field visits, the use of questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, desk reviews of written materials, and consultations with museum and gender specialists.

The team will work and cooperate closely with UNESCO Hanoi Office, and Culture Unit, Gender Equality Unit in UNESCO Headquarters. UNESCO will provide logistical arrangement and technical backstopping, including documents needed for the analysis, technical inputs on the draft report, and coordination with its partners, counterparts and consultants.

Timelines

Activities Timeframe Responsible Party 1 Finalization of TOR February 2009 UNESCO 2 Identification and commission of a March 2009 UNESCO research team 3 Development of the overall March 31 2009 International methodology, museum questionnaires, Consultants with visitor questionnaires and a time consultation of national schedule for the field visits staff 4 Translation of museum questionnaires By April 06 2009 National Consultant and visitor questionnaires into Vietnamese 5 Field visits in Hanoi, HCMC and two April 09 - 29, 2009 Research team selected provinces 6 Submission of a mission report of the By May 10 2009 National Consultant gender analysis in English 7 Submission of the draft report of the By May 30 2009 Research team

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gender analysis in English 8 Submission of the final report of the By June 15 2009 Research team gender analysis in English for publication

Outputs

The following outputs will be submitted to UNESCO Hanoi Office: 1. A mission report of the gender analysis in English by May 10 2009, including the following components: a. Description of the methodology adopted b. Data collected on visited museums’ collections, personnel policies and visitors 2. A draft report of the gender analysis of museums for feedback and comments by May 30 2009, including the following components: a. Description and assessment of the methodology adopted b. Data collected on visited museums’ collections, personnel policies and visitors c. Analysis of the data d. Recommendations for (i) mainstreaming gender and culturally sensitive approaches to museums in Vietnam and (ii) performing similar analysis in the future 3. A final report of the gender analysis of museums that integrates UNESCO’s comments by June 15 2009.

Specific tasks of the International Consultant on Museums

The Consultant will be responsible for the overall result of the assignment, including coordination and organization, division of labour between team members, report drafting, presentation and finalization. The Consultant is also expected to undertake a mission in Viet Nam for 14 days. In particular, the Consultant shall: 1. In consultation with UNESCO, the International Consultant on gender and the National Consultant, develop the overall methodology, museum questionnaires, visitor questionnaires and a time schedule for the assignment. In order to develop the overall methodology, the Consultant shall adopt and adjust UNESCO tools developed for the analysis of educational content. 2. Brief the National Consultant on museum-specific issues relevant to his/her assignment, and supervise the work of the National Consultant to ensure quality and timeliness of outputs. 3. Conduct field visits in museums in Hanoi and HCMC to collect data for the gender analysis. 4. Provide an introductory session for museum educators on museum education and gender and culturally sensitive approaches in museums. 5. Consolidate collected data and analytical reports/documents provided by the national consultant to produce the first draft of the report in English and send it to UNESCO for comments and feedback. 6. Incorporate changes from UNESCO and finalize the report.

Specific tasks of the International Consultant on Gender

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: 1. In consultation with UNESCO, the International Consultant on museum and the National Consultant, participate in the development of the overall methodology, museum questionnaires, visitor questionnaires and a time schedule for the assignment. In order to

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develop the overall methodology, the Consultant shall adopt and adjust UNESCO tools developed for the analysis of educational content. 2. Brief the National Consultant on Gender Equality issues relevant to his/her assignment to ensure quality of outputs. 3. Consolidate collected data and analytical reports/documents provided by the international consultant on museum and the national consultant to produce the first draft of the report in English and send it to UNESCO for comments and feedback. 4. Incorporate changes from UNESCO and finalize the report.

Specific tasks of the National Consultant

The Consultant will work under supervision of the International Consultants and in collaboration with UNESCO to: 1. In consultation with UNESCO, the International Consultant on museum and the International Consultant on Gender, participate in the development of the overall methodology, museum questionnaires, visitor questionnaires and a time schedule for the assignment. In order to develop the overall methodology, the Consultant shall adopt and adjust UNESCO tools developed for the analysis of educational content. 2. Translate museum questionnaires and visitor questionnaires into Vietnamese and submit the translation to UNESCO by April 06 2009. 3. Provide the International Consultants with relevant information and data in English, especially on the government policies and strategies on gender balance and gender representation in museums in Viet Nam. 4. Conduct field visits in Hanoi, HCMC and two selected provinces to collect data for the gender analysis. Only the field visits in Hanoi and HCMC shall be conducted with the International Consultant on museum. 5. Develop a mission report in English and submit the report to UNESCO and the International Consultants by May 03 2009. 6. Assist the International Consultant on museum with organizing meetings during field visits in Hanoi and HCMC and work as interpreter in these meetings. 7. Cooperate with the International Consultants to draft and finalize the report 8. Perform other tasks as assigned by the International Consultants.

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Annex B: Interview Guides

Research Framework

Methodologies and responsibilities to cover different components:

1. Conduct a content 2. Assess the museum’s 3.Conduct a survey of analysis and assess personnel policies: gender visitors and/or interview collections, exhibits (both balance among museum them in order to have permanent and staff as well as their disaggregated data by sex, temporary), education approach to gender issues age, ethnicity/nationality and public programs, display text and publications

Methodology Methodology Methodology Field visit, desk review of Face-to-face interviews Use of questionnaire the written material, consultation of museum and gender specialists Concrete actions and Concrete actions and Concrete actions and responsibilities responsibilities responsibilities Assessment and evaluation Discussions and interviews Visitors´ survey (NC) by reviewing permanent of the museum senior and and temporary exhibits and other staff (IC, NC) collections from the year 2008-2009 (IC, NC)

Assessment and evaluation of the education and public programs (IC, NC) Assessment and evaluation by reviewing museum websites, leaflets and other written material and translating them in English if necessary (NC)

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Face to Face Interviews

Gender Audit, UNESCO Hanoi, Spring 2009 Museum ______

PART 1: Assessment and evaluation by reviewing permanent and temporary exhibits and collections from the year 2008-2009 (IC, NC):

1. 1. How are the lives of men and women in all their diversity represented? (1a) Are all the women/men represented in similar, traditional ways or is there any diversity? (E.g. wearing ao dai …)

1.2. Are men and women represented in their own right? Are gender identities expressed through museum collections? (1b)

Balance of men and women in different collections and exhibits.

What kind of gender identities are represented, how is normative masculinity and femininity being represented?

1.3. Do the collections describe the different ways in which men and women understand and use the artefacts? (1d) If yes, how?

E.g. use of agricultural artefacts, war artefacts, household, costumes?

1.4. Does the documentation of collections acknowledge men’s and women’s roles, including those which traditionally have been undervalued or overlooked? (1e) Specific attention regarding women in the traditional roles like household duties, childbearing, breast feeding, working in the rice field, how is the sexuality expressed and how dominant it is etc.

1.5. Do the traditions and heritage presented in the display value men’s and women’s rights and contributions? (1f) Are women also exhibited as leaders or contributors, esp. in the Women’s Museum, are famous female culturist or politicians described or exhibited as national heroes…

1.6. Are men and women defined as individuals or primarily represented through their relation to others as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters? (1f)

1.7. Are both men and women artists/creators exhibited? (1j)  NC to track in the exhibit, artefact by artefact

PART 2: Assessment and evaluation of the education and public programs (IC, NC)

2.1. What kind of concerns and perspectives are incorporated into the museum’s education programs? Are the concerns and perspectives favouring men or women? (1a) Has the museum used any methods to attract women or men, girls or boys, in particular to attend the education programs?

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2.2. When planned the education programmes, has there been any concerns how to attract women/girls or men/boys? If yes, what kind of?

PART 3: Assessment and evaluation by reviewing museum websites, leaflets and other written material and translating them in English if necessary (NC)

3. Do the text and publications patronise men and women? (i) If yes, how?

3.1. Are there stereotypical pictures

3.2. Are there undervaluing pictures

3.3. In the publications are there equal amount of men and women authors? If not, count the ratio.

3.4. Is there gender balance in the brochure / web? a) content b) pictures

PART 4: Discussions and interviews of the museum senior and other staff: leader, curator and one more staff member, both men and women in each museum if possible (IC, NC)

Questions to the Leader:

4.1. Whose heritage does the museum collect and represent? (1c) State’s / female or male donor’s? Male/female collectors and research staff?

4.2. What is the ownership of the museum, whose voice is listened and to whom it is addressed? (male/female).

Is the museum mission statement to: a) serve women/men b) serve equally both

4.3. Does the museum work with any women organisation and encourage their ongoing participation in the museum? (1h) (Vietnam Women’s Union or any national or international organisations (NGOs, etc.)?

4.4. Are both men and women artists/creators/craftsmen exhibited? (1j)

How does a museum set up an exhibit: Do they have their own guidelines and quotas how to select artists? If yes, are there any gender issues in this process?

4.5. Does the museum have statistics of visitors and are they sex-disaggregated? m/f, b/g

4.6. What is the ratio of men/women in the museum staff and at which levels do they work? (2a) If possible, get a list of the staff by their sex and level.

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If one of the sexes is over-represented, do they have reasons to this - why?

4.7. What is the ratio of men/women working in leadership? (2a) If possible, get a list of the staff by their sex and level.

4.8. Is there a difference in education and division of work between men and women? (2a)  a chart of staff’s education level to be requested

4.9. What are the museum policies on gender-related issues, e.g. maternity leaves, family-friendly policies, same salary from the same work etc? (2b) Are they aware of government policies e.g. labor code, law on gender equality etc. and how does the museum follow them?

4.10. Does the museum have own strategies or policies or practices and how do they reflect to the gender issues?

4.11. Are there guidelines for composing exhibitions and collecting objects, which would touch upon/relate to gender issues?

4.12. In the Vietnamese retirement policy women retire at age of 55 and men 60. What is your personal opinion: is this fair or unfair?

If not fair, what kind of changes do you propose?

4.13. Are there any gender differences in reasons why male and female staff choose museum work in general? (2c) If yes, what kind of?

Why did you choose a museum as a career?

4.14. Have the staff received any training regarding gender issues? (2d) If yes, during their education or by the museum?

If not, do they think it would interest their staff and who do they think it should be arranged for and what is the most suitable length for a gender training?

What kind of contents would be recommended for these training sessions?

4.15. Do you think that your work has some relevance for gender equality and women’s empowerment? If yes, please describe what you mean and how this can be seen in your daily work.

4.16. Do you think that your museum should pay attention to gender equality and mainstream these issues in your exhibitions and public programs?

4.17. Do you think museums in general have a power to change people’s way of thinking? If yes, please explain how?

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4.18. Using women’s positions in museums as instruments for social change (2g):

Do you think it is important for the society that women become leaders and receive high positions also in museums?

If yes, can this have an effect on social change?

4.19. How do you define GE?

Questions to the Curator:

5.1. Whose heritage does the museum collect and represent? (1 c) State’s/female or male donor’s?

5.2. What is the ownership of the museum, whose voice is listened and to whom it is addressed? (male/female).

Is the museum mission statement to: a) serve women/men b) serve equally both

5.3. Are both men and women artists/creators/craftsmen exhibited? (1j)

How does a museum set up an exhibit: Do they have their own guidelines and quotas how to select artists? If yes, are there any gender issues in this process?

5.4. Is there a difference in education and division of work between men and women? (2a)  a chart of staff’s education level to be requested

5.5. Are there any gender differences in reasons why male and female staff choose museum work in general? (2c) If yes, what kind of?

Why did you choose a museum as a career?

5.6. What are the museum policies on gender-related issues, e.g. maternity leaves, family-friendly policies, same salary from the same work etc? (2b) Are they aware of government policies e.g. labor code, law on gender equality etc. and how does the museum follow them?

5.7. Does the museum have own strategies or policies or practices and how do they reflect to the gender issues?

5.8. In the Vietnamese retirement policy women retire at age of 55 and men 60. What is your personal opinion: is this fair or unfair?

If not fair, what kind of changes do you propose?

5.9. Have the staff received any training regarding gender issues? (2d) If yes, during their education or by the museum?

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If not, do they think it would interest their staff and who do they think it should be arranged for and what is the most suitable length for a gender training?

What kind of contents would be recommended for these training sessions?

5.10. Do you think that your work has some relevance for gender equality and women’s empowerment? If yes, please describe what you mean and how this can be seen in your daily work.

5.11. Do you think that your museum should pay attention to gender equality and mainstream these issues in your exhibitions and public programs?

5.12. Do you think museums in general have a power to change people’s way of thinking? If yes, please explain how?

5.13. Using women’s positions in museums as instruments for social change (2g):

Do you think it is important for the society that women become leaders and receive high positions also in museums?

If yes, can this have an effect on social change?

5.14. How do you define GE?

Questions to the Staff member:

6.1. Whose heritage does the museum collect and represent? (1c) State’s/female or male donor’s?

6.2. What is the ownership of the museum, whose voice is listened and to whom it is addressed? (male/female).

Is the museum mission statement to: a) serve women/men b) serve equally both

6.3. Is there a difference in education and division of work between men and women? (2a)  a chart of staff’s education level to be requested

6.4. Are there any gender differences in reasons why male and female staff choose museum work in general? (2c) If yes, what kind of?

Why did you choose a museum as a career?

6.5. What are the museum policies on gender-related issues, e.g. maternity leaves, family-friendly policies, same salary from the same work etc? (2b) Are they aware of government policies e.g. labour code, law on gender equality etc. and how does the museum follow them?

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6.6. Does the museum have its own strategies or policies or practices and how do they reflect to the gender issues?

6.7. In the Vietnamese retirement policy women retire at age of 55 and men 60. What is your personal opinion: is this fair or unfair?

If not fair, what kind of changes do you propose?

6.8. Have the staff received any training regarding gender issues? (2 d) If yes, during their education or by the museum?

If not, do they think it would interest their staff and who do they think it should be arranged for and what is the most suitable length for a gender training?

What kind of contents would be recommended for these training sessions?

6.9. Do you think that your work has some relevance for gender equality and women’s empowerment? If yes, please describe what you mean and how this can be seen in your daily work.

6.10. Do you think that your museum should pay attention to gender equality and mainstream these issues in your exhibitions and public programs?

6.11. Do you think museums in general have a power to change people’s way of thinking? If yes, please explain how?

6.12. Using women’s positions in museums as instruments for social change (2g):

Do you think it is important for the society that women become leaders and receive high positions also in museums?

If yes, can this have an effect on social change?

6.13 How do you define GE?

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Gender Audit, UNESCO Hanoi, Spring 2009 Museum ______Date ______

Additional Questions to Head of Administration: Number ______

1- What is the museum organisation and what is the special characteristic of this museum? Leadership Departments Special characteristics

2. Museum staff Number of females Number of males Official staff Contracted employees Ask about the staff list Advantage of this gender scale Difficulty

3- What are the staff’s backgrounds? Museum studies History Foreign languages Others

4- What is the museum’s recruitment policy? Education Experience Male priority Female priority

5- Salaries Are there any differences between men and women? Why?

6- Promotion opportunities Are there any differences between men and women? Why?

7- Training opportunities Are there any differences between men and women? Why?

8- Staff’s rights Maternal leave Retirement Sick leave Award Fines

9- Working evaluation Males

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Females

10- Gender related issues Committing the laws: Law on Population, Law on Marriage and Family… Abuse Lack of employees because many women give births at the same time or take sick leaves…

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Gender Audit, UNESCO Hanoi, Spring 2009 Museum ______Date ______

Additional Questions to the Representative of Labor Association: Number ______

1- Structural organisation of the Labor Association Chairmanship: male female Members of the Committee: male female Members of the Association: male female

2- How does the Labor Association care about staff’s material life? Additional incomes Free lunch Overtime work Priority

3- How does the Labor Association care about staff’s spiritual life? Ask for birthday list Birthday celebration Organising visits Performing activities Sports Weddings Funerals

4- How does the Labor Association care about staff’s health? Health insurance Health check Sickness

5- What is the Labor Association’s influence on the Director’s decision regarding gender issues?

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Gender Audit, UNESCO Hanoi, Spring 2009 Museum ______Date ______

Additional Questions to the Representative of Women Association: Number ______

1- Members

2- How are gender related policies disseminated?

3- How does the Association protect women’s rights?

4- How does the Association care about women’s material life?

5- How does the Association care about women’s spiritual life?

6- How does the Association care about women’s health?

7- What are the issues that need to be resolved?

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Visitor Survey

Museum Visitor Survey March 28 2009 UNESCO Hanoi Helka Ketonen

Instructions for collecting the survey data

Museum visitor surveys will be conducted as part of Gender Analysis of Culture Sector (focus on museums) in Viet Nam. The main scope is to collect disaggregated data by sex, age, motivations for visiting the museum, with who do they come to the museum and which messages and representations of men and women do they retain from the exhibitions.

Visitor survey will be divided into a) quantitative and b) qualitative sections.

A) Quantitative Survey - duration time is 3 hours - conducted by 1-2 museum educators or guides - number of collected data is 40 fact sheets per museum

One or two persons from the museum will meet museum visitors in the lobby, right after the ticket counter. They will select and invite politely some of the visitors to share 5 minutes of their time to answer six short questions. The guide explains to the visitor what the purpose of the survey is and that the answerers will be anonymous. The guide shows a gift, which the visitor will receive after participating to this survey.

Questions will be asked in a quiet corner of the lobby, standing separately from other people. The guide asks these six questions and writes them down on the form, one form for each visitor. The visitor receives her/his gift (museum post cards, etc) in the end.

During the morning hours museum will collect answers from 40 visitors: a) male 12-17 (5 visitors) 18-29 (5 visitors) 30-54 (5 visitors) 55- (5 visitors) b) female 12-17 (5 visitors) 18-29 (5 visitors) 30-54 (5 visitors) 55- (5 visitors)

B) Qualitative Survey: Part I and Part II - duration time is 3 hours - conducted by one museum educator and NC of the research group - amount of collected data is from 20 visitors: 20 quantitative forms and 20 qualitative forms

Two persons conducting the survey will meet museum visitors in the lobby, right after the ticket counter. They will select and invite politely visitors to participate to this qualitative survey, which will be divided into two sections:

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Part I: - begin the museum visit by answering the quantitative survey form (see above)

Part II: - end the museum visit by answering qualitative questions about the personal reactions to the museum exhibitions. - duration time for one interview is max. 10 minutes

The guide invites the selected visitor to meet her in the lobby or in a place, which is easy for the visitor to find, after she/he has finished the tour inside the museum.

Questions will be asked seated and separately from other people: one visitor per guide/NC at a time. The guide/NC asks 10 questions and writes them down on the form, one form for each visitor. Keep the two forms together and use the same visitor number for both forms.

For Fine Arts Museum question number 8 is different from the other museums.

The visitor receives her/his gift of choice in the end (free ticket to the museum, ice-cream in the café, etc).

Annexes:

1. Museum Visitor Survey Form – quantitative (one page) 2. Museum Visitor Survey Form – qualitative (three pages)

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Museum Visitor Survey – Quantitative Form April 2009, UNESCO

 Museum ______Visitor number______ Date ______ Interviewed by ______

1. Sex Female ______Male ______

2. Age 12-17 ______18-29______30-54______55- ______

3. Have you visited this museum before? this is my first time _____ 1-5 times _____ more than 5 times _____

4. Did you come here alone ______with my friend/friends ______with my family member/members ______in a group ______- please describe which kind of a group______

5. How did you learn about this museum family members encouraged me to come ______teacher told me ______I read from a newspaper ______I read from internet ______I read from an advertisement ______I learned from ______

6. What is the purpose of your visit to this museum today?

______

______

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Museum Visitor Survey – Qualitative Form April 2009, UNESCO Hanoi

 Museum ______Visitor number______ Date ______ Interviewed by ______

Personal reactions and opinions on the museum exhibitions

1. What was the highlight of your visit in the museum exhibitions? (What did you enjoy / like the most in the exhibition?) ______

______

2. Did you learn something – please explain what? (Something you did not know before?) ______

______

3. Was there something that you did not like – something that made you sad or scared or ashamed? ______

______

______

4. We would like to know your personal opinion on the representation of women and men, boys and girls in the exhibitions. Please describe something that was very meaningful for yourself in relation to the life of a woman/man/boy/girl? (Think about how the life of a woman/man/boy/girl was shown or explained in the exhibition?

______

______

5. What else would you like to see represented in terms of women and men’s identities, experiences and contributions? ______

______

6. What are the untold stories of Vietnamese women and men and how can museums show these? ______

______

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7. Was there something that did not feel right / was not realistic / something that you didn’t like in the way that a woman/man/boy/girl was exhibited? ______

______

8. a. Let’s play a game. The museum invites you to participate in completing their exhibition. They are asking you to think about something from your personal life, which would be added to the exhibition. That thing would be anonymous. It could be an object, a memory, or anything you wish. What would that be? ______

______

b. (For Fine Arts Museum) Let’s play a game. The museum invites you to participate in choosing artworks to their exhibition. They ask you to suggest a theme for an art work or a small art exhibition, which would be very meaningful for your own life. You would stay anonymous and nobody would know that this idea came from you. What would the theme / subject matter be? The museum would invite famous artists to make the artworks of your choice or the museum would borrow artworks from other museums to Hanoi.

______

______

9. You said in the beginning of your visit (Part II, question 6) that your purpose for this visit is ______(”quote her/his answer”). How do you feel now - how has the visit fulfilled your wishes for this visit? Please describe this feeling by setting your finger on this line: 1 to 5

1 ______5

5 means that your visit was very successful and you enjoyed your visit very much. 1 means that you did not like the visit at all.

10. And now, is there something more that you wish to tell me or ask me about? Anything?

______

______

Thank you very much and hope to see you again in our museum!

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Annex C: Profile of visitors interviewed

Quantitative Qualitative No Museum Sex Total 12-17 18-29 30-54 55- Total 12-17 18-29 30-54 55- Total Male 4 1 2 1 8 1 3 0 2 6 14 1 Women's Museum Female 0 6 5 2 13 1 1 3 3 8 21 Total 4 7 7 3 21 2 4 3 5 14 35 Male 5 9 5 5 24 3 3 3 2 11 35 Vietnam Museum of 2 Female 5 10 5 5 25 3 3 3 3 12 37 Ethnology Total 10 19 10 10 49 6 6 6 5 23 72 Male 0 2 3 3 8 0 4 3 1 8 16 History Museum in Ho Chi 3 Female 0 4 2 1 7 0 2 2 1 5 12 Minh City Total 0 6 5 4 15 0 6 5 2 13 28 Male 0 3 4 1 8 0 1 0 0 1 9 4 War Remnant Museum Female 0 5 0 1 6 0 1 0 0 1 7 Total 0 8 4 2 14 0 2 0 0 2 16 Male 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 3 4 5 HCM City Museum Female 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 3 5 Total 0 3 0 0 3 0 4 2 0 6 9 Male 1 1 1 0 3 3 5 4 2 14 17 6 Can Tho Museum Female 0 2 2 0 4 3 3 3 0 9 13 Total 1 3 3 0 7 6 8 7 2 23 30 Male 10 17 15 10 52 7 17 12 7 43 95 Total Female 5 29 14 9 57 7 13 11 7 38 95 Total 15 46 29 19 109 14 30 23 14 81 190

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Annex D: Visitor responses

Age Have you visited this museum Did you come here before? 12-17 18-29 30-54 55- Total 1st time 1-5 more alone with my with my family in a Questions Sex times than 5 friend/friends member/members group

M 5 4 2 3 14 6 7 1 2 4 7 1 Women's F 1 7 8 5 21 16 5 4 8 5 4 Museum Total 6 11 10 8 35 22 12 1 6 12 12 5 M 8 12 8 7 35 23 10 2 5 16 9 5 VME F 8 13 8 8 37 21 13 3 19 11 7 Total 16 25 16 15 72 44 23 5 24 27 16 5 HCMC M 6 6 4 16 9 5 1 3 7 4 1 History F 6 4 2 12 6 2 5 4 3 6 Museum Total 12 10 6 28 15 7 6 7 10 10 1 M 4 4 1 9 4 4 1 2 5 2 War Remnant F 6 1 7 5 2 6 1 Museum Total 10 4 2 16 9 6 1 2 11 3 M 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 HCMC F 5 5 2 2 1 1 4 Museum Total 7 2 9 4 4 1 3 6 M 4 6 5 2 17 6 2 9 2 8 7 Can Tho F 3 5 5 13 1 7 5 5 8 Museum Total 7 11 10 2 30 7 9 14 2 13 15 M 17 34 27 17 95 50 30 14 16 42 29 7 F 12 42 25 16 95 51 31 14 28 37 27 4 Total Total 29 76 52 33 190 101 61 28 44 79 56 11 % 15.3% 40.0% 27.4% 17.4% 100% 53.2% 32.1% 14.7% 23.2% 41.6% 29.5% 5.8%

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How did you learn about this museum What is the purpose of your visit to this museum today?

family teacher I read I read I read from I To gain To bring To do class To visit specific To relax To p members told from a from an learned general friends/family assignment exhibitions/programs or just langu Questions Sex encouraged me newspaper internet advertisement from knowledge members to visit the commu me to come other on history, the museum museum sources culture, museum… M 9 1 1 3 12 1 1 Women's F 12 1 3 5 20 1 Museum Total 21 1 1 1 3 8 32 1 1 1 M 9 5 4 6 11 10 9 3 3 9 VME F 13 7 2 3 1 11 8 9 3 1 13 Total 22 12 6 9 1 22 18 18 6 4 22 HCMC M 6 3 1 5 11 2 1 1 History F 2 6 5 10 2 1 Museum Total 8 3 6 1 10 21 2 2 1 2 War M 1 2 6 4 3 1 1 Remnant F 2 3 2 2 5 Museum Total 3 5 2 6 6 3 6 1 M 1 1 1 1 2 2 HCMC F 3 1 1 3 1 Museum Total 1 4 1 1 2 5 1 2 M 6 2 9 7 1 3 2 4 Can Tho F 5 1 7 5 3 2 3 Museum Total 11 3 16 12 4 3 4 7 M 32 14 4 8 1 35 46 14 9 7 17 F 34 14 12 3 4 29 48 15 8 3 18 Total Total 66 28 16 11 5 64 94 29 17 10 35 % 34.7% 14.7% 8.4% 5.8% 2.6% 33.7% 49.5% 15.3% 8.9% 5.3% 18.4% 2

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Annex E: Visitor Satisfaction

No Museum Sex 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 Total comments

Male 2 2 2 6 1 Women's Museum Female 2 1 3 2 8 Total 2 4 1 5 2 14 Male 2 3 4 2 11 Vietnam Museum of 2 Female 1 1 4 1 12 Ethnology 3 2 Total 2 4 1 8 3 3 2 23 Male 1 1 2 4 8 History Museum in 3 Female 1 2 1 Ho Chi Minh City 1 5 Total 2 3 3 5 13 Male 1 1 War Remnant 4 Female 1 1 Museum Total 1 1 2 Male 2 1 3 5 HCM City Museum Female 1 2 3 Total 1 4 1 6 Male 1 1 7 5 14 6 Can Tho Museum Female 1 8 9 Total 1 1 8 13 23 Male 2 4 7 0 15 0 13 2 43 Total Female 1 1 6 1 9 3 13 4 38 Total 3 5 13 1 24 3 26 6 81

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Annex F: Museum staff profile

Men Women Education Leadership Education Leadership Museum Director Head and Director Head and Number High Vocational and Vice Head Number High Vocational and Vice Head BA MA PhD BA MA PhD school school Vice of school school Vice of Director Department Director Department

Women's 12 7 5 0 0 0 1 26 2 17 7 0 3 5 Museum

VME 32 7 5 9 4 7 3 8 59 0 6 44 7 2 0 4

HCMC History 21 13 2 4 0 2 1 4 23 8 2 11 1 1 2 3 Museum War Remnant 32 0 2 29 2 3 Museum

HCMC 23 14 1 7 0 1 1 2 30 6 5 15 4 0 2 5 Museum

Can Tho 13 1 7 5 0 0 1 0 23 1 5 17 0 0 2 5 Museum

Total 133 35 22 30 4 10 6 17 190 15 20 104 19 3 11 25

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