The past decade has seen a marked spike in global policy momentum around social protection policies and programmes, but very little attention to its role in tackling gendered experiences of poverty and vulnerability. It is often assumed that social protection is already addressing gender because many social transfers and public works initiatives target women. However, the role that gender relations play in social protection effectiveness is more complex, affecting not only the type of risk tackled but also the impacts, as a result of pre-existing intra-household and community dynamics. Moreover, gender norms and roles may shape the choice of social protection modality, awareness-raising approaches and public buy-in to programmes.

This report analyses the effectiveness of the Vietnamese government’s social protection system related to food insecurity and under-nutrition. As tackling the gendered manifestations of risk and vulnerability has positive spill-over effects on general programme effectiveness, the report assesses the extent to which existing policies and programmes are tackling the gender dimensions of food insecurity and malnutrition.