Sexual harassment in public is too often used as a weapon to keep its victims, most often women, in their place — both figuratively and literally, writes Future Forum’s Theang Soriya.
In the recent election, it was women candidates who promoted empathy in policy. Empathy is stereotypically seen as feminine, and men who cultivate it can face ridicule. But empathetic leadership, beyond populist messaging, is needed and effective, Future Forum’s Theang Soriya says.
City Hall has said that NagaWorld women protesters have shown behavior “not suitable as Khmer women.” But why is this protest, and so many others in Cambodia, made up of mostly women? And is the act of protest really contradictory to the idea of Cambodian womanhood?
Public and official attention on gender issues in Cambodia has followed a boom and bust cycle: Viral cases of abuse lead to temporary political goodwill, with little sustained progress. But citizens’ voices can move powerful people, writes researcher Theang Soriya.
“Is this how things are supposed to happen in Cambodia?” Mean Pich Rita, who has accused an oknha of attempted rape, asks her mother in a widely circulated video. It is painful and frustrating to have to give a simple but true answer to this question: Yes, this is the way it has been, writes Future Forum researcher Theang Soriya.
When domestic violence is studied or discussed in Cambodia, it doesn’t usually look like this. We probably picture violence affecting women living in poverty in rural areas, not in the luxurious homes of elite families.
It’s a blind spot that you probably aren’t expecting to hear about on International Women’s Day: Not enough attention is being paid to the roles that men could play, or are playing, either in pushing the gender equality movement forward, or holding it back.
A mismatch between younger generations’ changing views of marriage and the slower rate of society-wide change is causing real problems within some marriages, writes Future Forum researcher Theang Soriya.
While gender equality advocates have called out the government’s recent moves against what women wear as a restriction on women’s rights, some women have voiced support for the measures, and simultaneously reinforced the patriarchy.
Male gender stereotypes — socially constructed norms that characterize what it means to be an “ideal man” — have damaging effects on all genders, writes Theang Soriya.
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