What’s life like as a woman in Cambodia? A spectrum of women answered our questions. Clockwise from top left: Sok Kon, Mariem, Churb Phany, Srey Thom, Magali Morel, Birte, Lim Vanary. Photograph: Alexander Crook/Phnom Penh Post
International Women’s Day belongs to all women. So this week, Julius Thiemann and Koam Chanrasmey asked seven women different questions about life as a woman in the Kingdom.
Sok Kon, 51, coffee seller
When do you feel glad to be a woman?
I was happy and proud whenever I was pregnant and gave birth to my four children.
What would you do if you were a man for a day?
I would stay home and look after the children.
When and where are you happiest?
Women’s Day is the happiest day because then everybody knows that we women have rights.
Churb Phany, 54, military nurse
What would you do if you were a man for a day?
If I were a man for a day, I would do everything I wanted without asking my husband’s permission. On that day I would just go and buy a motorbike and ride it around all by myself.
When and where are you happiest?
When the family is together and we all eat and smile.
Srey Thom, 20
What do you like about being a woman?
I like my body and its shape. I like to put on make-up, which men can’t do.
What would you do if you were a man for a day?
I would try to make women happy and give them what they deserve – like telling them that I love them and giving them flowers.
Mariem, 31, from Morocco, currently looking for a job in Cambodia
When do you feel glad to be a woman?
I always feel happy because we women have great opportunities. By the way, I think a world ruled by women would be a much better place because we are more honest and reasonable.
Birte, 34, from Germany, mother of two young boys
When do you feel glad to be a woman?
I am happy to be a woman because we women are more sensitive and feel more strongly than men. I am also proud to raise children and manage a family.
What do you like and what do you dislike about men?
I don’t like when men just leave the house when the situation at home is too stressful and go to have a beer with their friends. I like it when men give me a feeling of being loved.
Magali Morel, from France, journalist
When and where are you most happy?
I am happy when I am having drinks with my friends or a chocolate milkshake, when I can do the things I like, like travelling. The little moments in life make you happy.
What could men do to make a woman’s life easier?
I won’t tell you anything about helping in the household or treating us women as men! It is really more on a professional level. There are still differences in salary.
Lim Vanary, 26, skin therapist at Wuttisak
When and where are you happiest?
When I am partying with my friends or when I am with my family. It doesn’t matter where as long as we are all together.
What do you like and what do you dislike about men?
I like gentle and handsome men – not the men who hang around, drink a lot and don’t think.
To see a video showing all the answers from the women, check out the Phnom Penh Post website: www.phnompenhpost.com/lifestyle.
