Consecuencias del estado de sitio: el artículo 23, parte Ia in

Education development scholarships granted by foreign governments or development agencies to nationals of the developing countries have been a popular type of development aid. As claimed by these scholarship programmes, the objectives of these aid schemes are to “empower individuals with the knowledge, skills and qualifications to contribute to the economic, social, and

26 political development” (MFAT, 2015) or in the case of the Australian Award Scholarships to “assist the development and employment of a highly-skilled workforce and to promote women’s economic empowerment” in developing countries (DFAT, 2015). In Vietnam, New Zealand Agency of International Development, Australian Awards Scholarships, U.S. Fulbright Scholarship Programme and U.S. VEF Fellowship are among the most prominent higher education development scholarships. These programmes offer full scholarships for Vietnamese nationals to study Master’s or Ph.D. degree programmes in the host countries and recipients of these scholarships are required to return and work in Vietnam for at least two years on completion.

Research has been conducted to study the relationship between education development scholarships and gender relations and gender related issues. Specifically, a number of studies have explored the outcomes of development scholarships by looking at the influences it has on women’s lives. Research by Wild (2007), for example, examined on the relationship between aid, education, and the impacts of the international development scholarship scheme on Thai women’s lives. In her research findings, Wild identifies a number of positive and negative outcomes for women associated with this type of educational experience:

Beneficial outcomes include greater emotional autonomy, increased cross-cultural knowledge, new professional networks, new work skills, and improved English-language competency. Participants within this research report that these benefits have translated into increased respect within their workplaces; new opportunities to represent their organisations at home and abroad; greater participation in international research and policy forums; increased control over negotiations with foreign consultants; and an enhanced commitment to collaboration with other professionals in the ASEAN region. Negative outcomes to arise out of the scholarship experience include role tension and relationship conflict for married women; career disruption associated with employment bonding and job restructuring during the period of absence abroad; new unwanted work responsibilities; and dissatisfaction with some aspects of quality of life in their country of origin. (Wild, 2007, p. ii)

The study reveals that while taking up international scholarship opportunities has changed the lives of these women positively, there are still challenges they have to overcome especially those which are gender related.

In addition, Spark’s study on Understanding the Barriers that Confront Educated Women in Papua New Guinea (2010) has also suggested that while Papua New Guinean women benefit

27 from participation in higher education, especially from the education opportunities offered by the Australian Awards Scholarships (AAS), “this participation is not enough to bring changes in the way that would seriously enhance the status of women” in the country. Women still have to face multiple barriers particularly those of male jealousy and anxiety about educated women as competitors, female jealousy and suspicion about educated women’s opportunities and morality, as well as active discrimination against educated women (ibid, p.28).

Other studies on the impacts of the AAS on women participants have indicated that the scholarships have been a very effective tool for building women’s leadership by equipping them with the professional skills for their career advancement as well as developing the personal attributes, vision and range of skills needed for leadership. Yet, in many cases, the women have not been able to optimize their full potential due to social restrictions and cultural beliefs in their home countries (Lockley, Ovington, & Shah, 2015). In Indonesia, the AAS scholarship has made some progress towards gender equality but “considerable gender bias and disparity still persist as a result of hegemonic cultural beliefs about gender” (Edmunds, 2007).

From these research findings, it can be inferred that the scholarships and the cross-cultural life experiences have equipped these women with new skills and knowledge, and changed them into more confident and well-rounded figures. However, these scholarships do not automatically empower these women given the social norms and constrains they have to deal with.

3.4 Conclusion

A number of studies indicate that education is one of the key factors facilitating the process of women’s empowerment, enabling them to be more self-confident, have more voice in decision making, and sustain their position in the family, at work, and in society. However, research also suggests that education is not the magic bullet to make women feel more empowered. Women with higher education still have to deal with hurdles related to customs, norms and traditions which challenge their empowerment. This mixture of both opportunities and challenges holds true for women who take up development scholarships to study abroad, as found, for example, by Wild (2007). They may have more respect, new opportunities, greater inclusion, and increased control but at the same time also encounter role tension, relationship conflict, career disruption, new unwanted work responsibilities, and dissatisfaction with their lives in their home countries.

28 Before examining the case study of the VEF Fellowship and its female fellows to explore the possible impacts of international development scholarship on Vietnamese women’s empowerment, the following chapter will introduce this particular programme in more detail.

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