The reception was to start at noon on Friday, and by 12:05 pm, the hotel lounge was already filled, and guests were speaking with an intensity that was nearly palpable.
This would be no ordinary gathering, as became obvious when visitors reached the lounge to be greeted by four ambassadors and the head of the World Bank in Cambodia—all of whom are women.
The event was in honor of women leaders in the wake of International Women’s Day on March 8.
In addition to hoping to create a network of female officials in Cambodia, “We felt it was important to celebrate our accomplishments—we all have had a tough ride getting where we are in a man’s world,” said Nisha Agrawal, World Bank country manager.
Even today, comparatively few women accede to high-powered positions—Agrawal said she noticed only one woman beside herself at the decisionmakers’ table at the Consultative Group meeting in Phnom Penh earlier this month.
Friday’s event was organized by Agrawal, Australian Ambassador Lisa Filipetto, Canadian Ambassador Donica Pottie, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng and Cuban Ambassador Nirsia Castro Guevara, who is vice dean of Cambodia’s diplomatic corps. The reception’s guest list included about 280 Cambodian and expatriate women—including parliamentarians and senators, secretaries of state and judges, heads of NGOs and company managers, Pottie said. Around 200 attended, including Interior Ministry female officials in police uniforms.
While these Cambodian women were in apparently powerful posts, how much influence can they exert in the country? “We are not at the leadership stage yet,” said Princess Norodom Bopha Devi, former minister of culture.
There still is a code of behavior for women to which Cambodians adhere, said Kek Galabru, founder and president of local rights group Licadho. The code, known as Chbam Srey, stipulates that women must obey their husbands, which leads to discrimination within families, she said. Only with the support of her husband and family can a woman play a role outside her home, she added.
“Our goal is to put women in a position to have a choice” whether to stay at home or work outside, said Ing Kantha Phavi, minister of women’s affairs. Some women must work because their husbands’ salaries are not enough to make ends’ meet; others simply want a career; and others would rather stay at home, she said.
Whatever they decide, she added, “Women must not have to sell their bodies,” if they need to earn a living. They must be able to get decent jobs, she said.