By Sopheap Chak

I have been taught differently by my family and society. While my parents who value education and equal status of human being regardless sex that brought me to today’s higher education the same as my brother, my society distracted me into a mixed environment where I have to always debate myself for any step to move forward. The mixed environment here i refer to the situation where people keep telling me to follow the old tradition, while another side contradict this practice.

Gender Perception in Cambodian Society

In Cambodia, a male-dominated society, females are more expected to conform to norm and tradition which placed women inferior to her male counterparts. There are various traditional codes of conduct for women as described in proverbs, folktales and novels, especially in Chab Srey, “Women Code of Conduct,” on how women should behave. Here are some excerpt of Women Code of Conduct:

Another flame is your husband who you stay with forever
You should serve well don’t make him disappointed
Forgive him in the name of woman; don’t speak in the way that you consider him as equal
No matter what happen we have to wait to listen with the bad word (even if he say something bad you have to listen)

“Women are supposed to stay at home, and always behave quietly and sweetly,” otherwise it will bring bad luck to family. Moreover, a famous proverb continually practice in Cambodia: ” A man is gold; a woman is a white piece of cloth.” When dropped into mud, piece of cloth never regains its purity regardless how much it is washed. However, the gold can be cleaned and shined always.

Interestingly, one reason for a lack of female participation in today’s labor market and higher education may stem from the old perspectives, which said it is useless or unnecessary to send the girls to school comparing to the boy; or the girls should not learn much otherwise they will know how to write love letters to the man; or the girl can just stay home and treat husband properly; thus no need to learn. All these concepts are rooted in Khmer society and disvalue women’s rights and dignity. Consequently, we hardly find women in higher positions of government or companies or any institution due to the lack of knowledge and opportunities, which is restricted by the family and society as the whole.

This old saying is truly reflecting how people perceive about women value and role. I have debated a lot with some male counterparts who most of the time they teased me not to study hard or pursue higher education. Their justification is the same thing to the old perspective that women are not supposed to learn a lot, since sooner or later she will become housewife or the proverb saying: “Women cannot do anything beside household work.”

Advancement of Cambodian Women in Modern Society

Regardless the old practices still exist, globalization and modernization have brought much change to Cambodian perception on women value. Due to political and economical evolution and the ratifications of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, regardless of sex, people deserve equal treatment and respect. Therefore, the recognition and respect of women’s efforts started. More importantly, economic reasons are another key lead to the change since the family cannot only rely on the man, but women also can contribute their income generation which contradicts to many old saying that women should only stay at home or women can only manage the household work.

We can witness in today society where women gain much status and play important role in social development. Among many women, the following are some model activists who do not only resettle social problem, but also take leading role in women empowerment regardless life risks:

Chim Manavy: the Executive Director of the Open Institute, a local Cambodian non-government organization established in September, 2006 with the main purpose to facilitate communication and knowledge sharing for women empowerment and social development in Cambodia.

Kek Galabru: President and founder of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) during the United Nation transition period. LICADHO is to protect human rights in Cambodia and to promote respect for civil and political rights by the Cambodian government and institutions.

Mu Sochua: The first woman elected to Cambodia’s parliament. Sochua has been targeted by her government for persecution and prosecution because of the feminist policies she has promoted.

Mam Somaly: Under her leadership, AFESIP employs a holistic approach that ensures victims not only escape their plight but provide therapy and education so that they have the emotional and economic strength to face the future with hope. Though, she has earned much respects, her efforts have resulted in death threats to herself and her family. Even worst, in 2006, her 14-year-old daughter was kidnapped by brothel owners, who drugged and raped her. This has not stopped Somaly Mam, but motivated her even more. Once, when asked why she continued to fight in the face of such fierce and frightening opposition, she resolutely responded, “I don’t want to go without leaving a trace.”

Nuon Phymean: She has over the past years offered hundreds of children working in Phnom Penh’s landfill a way out through free schooling and job training at her People Improvement Organization. She was one of the nominees for the CNN Hero.

What can be done for Women Empowerment and to increase the presence of women in prominent position:

First of all, I think education is the main catalyst for advocating social change. Education shape people’s attitude and skill in which they can utilize to achieve their goals. Thus, before anything else, access to education is a must.

Then, it required internal and external forces to integrate women in prominent positions:

Internal forces: Women should see themselves as the agent of change. Instead of blaming the social tradition or accepting the male-domination social trend, women need to shape their positive thinking and be confident in their ability. Also, women need to understand their desire and struggle to meet that demands. I simply mean that women need to be proactive and strive toward the goals.

External forces: It requires government and civil society including parents to promote gender equality and empowerment. Any policies (such as in education, health, economy and social affairs) to be proposed should address gender interests.