After more than three years of marriage, N.V.T. and N.T.N. in Thanh Yên commune decided to divorce following prolonged conflicts. The wife lamented her husband’s patriarchal mindset, lack of respect, and leaving her alone to shoulder household chores and childcare even though both worked full-time. Meanwhile, the husband claimed his wife constantly complained and lacked empathy. Disagreements that were never heard, shared, or resolved in a spirit of equality eventually caused the marriage to collapse.

For Lê Duy Hưng and Chu Thị Hải Yến in Mường Thanh ward, happiness is preserved through empathy and mutual sharing. Understanding his wife’s demanding schedule as a teacher, Lê Duy Hưng actively picks up the children after work, cleans the house, and prepares meals with his wife. Over 16 years of marriage, mutual companionship has served as the foundation for nurturing their home.

Lê Duy Hưng shared that many people still view cooking and cleaning as women’s work, but he believes the family is a shared home where everyone holds a responsibility to care for it. When sharing even the smallest tasks together, both feel respected and ready to support one another in everything. Genuine listening and mutual understanding are what keep their family tightly knit and happy.

Reality shows that in modern life, many women participate in the workforce and develop their careers while simultaneously shouldering the bulk of domestic chores and childcare. Without support from life partners, growing pressures easily spark conflicts, affecting family happiness. Consequently, mutual care, respect, and shared responsibility among members form the cornerstone for building a sustainable household.

The 2006 Law on Gender Equality stipulates that men and women hold equal positions and roles, are given conditions to develop their capabilities, and equally benefit from development achievements. Nevertheless, translating legal provisions into practical daily life still requires a shift from awareness to action within every family and every member of society.

In Điện Biên, certain rural and highland regions still harbor notions that men decide major affairs while women remain tied to housework and childcare, and son preference has not been entirely eradicated. Gender inequality thus persists in family life, manifesting through gender prejudices, domestic violence, and women carrying most caretaking and domestic tasks.

In recent years, Điện Biên province has synchronously implemented numerous measures to promote gender equality aligned with the national gender equality strategy. Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations, particularly the Women’s Union and the Youth Union, have intensified communications to disseminate Party guidelines, state policies, and laws regarding gender equality, integrating gender equality themes into neighborhood movements, campaigns, and community meetings. Models and clubs focusing on domestic violence prevention, building sustainably developed families, and trusted community addresses continue to be maintained, helping support victims, raise awareness, and progressively transform community behaviors.

The movement “All people unite to build a cultural life” has been widely deployed, linked with building prosperous, equal, progressive, and happy families. By 2026, an estimated 78% of households across the entire province are expected to attain the “Cultural Family” title, creating positive shifts in household awareness and action regarding gender equality and cultivating a civilized lifestyle.

According to Pờ Diệu Ninh, President of the provincial Women’s Union, gender equality within the family does not mean rigidly dividing every task in half, but rather allocating duties appropriately based on respect, sharing, and mutual responsibility. Every member has the right to be heard and to participate in major family decisions. When sons are taught to share household chores and to love and respect women, and daughters are encouraged to be confident, independent, and pursue their dreams, gender biases will gradually disappear, laying the foundation for happy, sustainable families and a developing society.

In modern society, men and women possess equal opportunities to learn, work, develop themselves, and cultivate a shared home together. Every act of sharing, respect, and companionship within the family contributes to creating healthy cells of society. Gender equality is therefore not just a development objective, but must become a way of life, starting directly from within every home.