This may be linked to the fact that women in Canada have more social and financial freedom. Gender Roles Vietnamese gender roles are very similar to typical traditional roles seen in Canada. Men generally work outside the home, and women are responsible for household tasks, such as raising children and cleaning. As stated previously, Vietnamese culture is a patriarchal system, so men make most of the important decisions, manage money, and support the family. In recent years, the gender gap between men and women has narrowed. This is partly due to the Vietnam War, in which many men left home to fight and wives became the breadwinner. Western influence also played a role in this, for example men had more education than women, but the Vietnamese government's equal opportunities initiatives and schools funded by Canada and the United States narrowed this gap.