Gender discrimination in the way the Vietnamese talk about face thê diên : Results from interviews with Vietnamese teachers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a view of gender discrimination in Vietnam via the lens of thê diên – the Vietnamese face concept.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports on results of a PhD exploratory study of the Vietnamese face concept thê diên. Semi-structured indepth interviews were conducted with 15 Vietnamese college teachers about the notion of thê diên in relation with several areas including gender.

Findings

There are two ways in which gender discrimination is reflected in the participants’ perceptions of thê diên. First, there is discrimination in terms of the different language used for men and women in terms of face. Second, there are different social expectations for men and women in terms of thê diên. Specifically, in order to maintain thê diên, men are expected to prove themselves as sources of the family income and social status. Meanwhile, women are only supposed to maintain their men’s face.

Originality/value

While the gender situation in Vietnam has been examined via various social, economical, and political perspectives, it has never been filtered through the lens of face, a cultural concept that deeply reflects living and behaving principles of a cultural community in a certain time.

Citation

Nguyen, T.Q.T. (2015), "Gender discrimination in the way the Vietnamese talk about face thê diên : Results from interviews with Vietnamese teachers", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 147-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-12-2014-0066