Addressing Unpaid Work in Cambodia


Published: Dec 29, 2020
Keywords:
Unpaid work Unpaid care Domestic chores Unpaid work in Cambodia Women’s empowerment Gender Equality Gender justice Gender policy Gender and development Cambodia
Sotheary You
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9645-1321
Abstract

This paper presents an overview of development challenges related to promoting gender equality in Cambodia based on the available published evidence. To achieve gender equality objectives, Cambodia needs policy initiatives that address unpaid work and facilitate women's equal participation in labor and social development. This paper offers policy recommendations to address Cambodia's unpaid work issues, including the provisions of elderly care, enhancement of early childhood education coverage, promoting accessible and affordable childcare programs, pushing for parental leave, and increasing pension scheme coverage. The success of policy design and implementation requires political will to deliver the policies, accompanying efficient and effective public service delivery.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Sotheary You, Duke University
Sotheary You is the founder of Next Women Generation. She holds the Master of International Development Policy from Duke University, USA.
References
Alonso et al. (2019). Reducing and Redistributing Unpaid Work: Stronger Policies to Support Gender Equality. IMF. IMF Working Paper. WP/19/225. Available at: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2019/10/15/Reducing-and-Redistributing-Unpaid-Work-Stronger-Policies-to-Support-Gender-Equality-48688 (Accessed: 28/11/2020).
Anderson, E. and Grace, K. (2018). From Schoolgirls to "Virtuous" Khmer Women: Interrogating Chban Srey and Gender in Cambodian Education Policy. Studies in Social Justice, 12 (2): 215-234.
Berg, J. (n.d.). Labor Markets, Institutions and Inequality. ILO. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_347249.pdf (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
Care Cambodia (n.d.). Project Profile: Female Construction Workers. Care Cambodia. Available at: https://www.care-cambodia.org/lrfcw#:~:text=Cambodia's%20booming%20construction%20industry%20employs,work%20informally%20as%20day%20labourers (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
CEDAW (2019). CEDAW/C/KHM/CO/6. UNDOCS. Available at: https://undocs.org/en/CEDAW/C/KHM/CO/6 (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Chowdhury et al. (2018). Gender Gap in Earning in Vietnam: Why Do Vietnamese Women Work in Lower Paid Occupations? World Bank. Available at: http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/685791521537975174/pdf/124438-BRI-19-3-2018-11-16-51-EAPVietnamBriefWEBv.pdf (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
Ferrant et al. (2014). Unpaid Care Work: The missing link in the analysis of gender gaps in labor outcomes. OECD. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/Unpaid_care_work.pdf (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Halim et al. (2017). Could Childcare Services Improve Women's Labor Market Outcomes in Indonesia? World Bank. Available at: http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/855851490958133680/pdf/113927-BRI-PUBLIC-EAP-abstract-sent.pdf (Accessed: 29/11/2020)
Help Age (n.d.). Aging population in Cambodia. Help Age. Available at: https://ageingasia.org/ageing-population-cambodia/#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20older%20people,triple%20in%20the%20coming%20decades (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Hutt, D. (2020). Pandemic math not adding up in Cambodia. The Asian Time. Available at:
IFC (2019). Exploring the Opportunities for Women-owned SMEs in Cambodia. IFC. Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/9e469291-d3f5-43a5-bea2-2558313995ab/Market+Research+Report+on+Women_owned+SMEs+in+Cambodia.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mOU6fpx (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
ILO (n.d.). Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health Standards in Construction Sector in Cambodia. ILO. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/asia/projects/WCMS_577102/lang--en/index.htm (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Kampuchean Action for Education (n.d.). Available at: http://www.kapekh.org/en/what-we-do/16/?pro_id=22 (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
Mathew, M. (2019). Unpaid Work in Asia and the Pacific. UNESCAP. Social Development Policy Paper. No. 2019/2. Available at: https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/PP_2019-02_Unpaid%20Work.pdf (Accessed: 28/11/2020).
National Institute of Statistic (2019). General Population Census of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2019. Ministry of Planning. Available at: https://www.nis.gov.kh/nis/Census2019/Provisional%20Population%20Census%202019_English_FINAL.pdf (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
National Institute of Statistic (n.d.). Available at: http://www.nis.gov.kh/index.php/en/ (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
NNA Business News (2020). Cambodia cuts 2021 State budget due to COVID-19. NNA Business News. Available at: https://english.nna.jp/articles/16833 (Accessed: 28/11/2020).
OHCHR (2015). Gender Equality and Human Rights. OHCHR. Available at: https://cambodia.ohchr.org/en/issues/gender-equality-and-human-rights (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Onishi, T. (2020). Cambodia's garment industry hangs by a thread. Nikkei Asian Review. Available at: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Cambodia-s-garment-industry-hangs-by-a-thread#:~:text=Cambodia's%20garment%20industry%20employs%20about,spread%20of%20the%20new%20coronavirus (Accessed: 30/11/2020).
Statistics Bureau of Japan (n.d.). Population Projection for Cambodia. Statistics Bureau of Japan. Available at: https://www.stat.go.jp/info/meetings/cambodia/pdf/rp12_ch10.pdf (Accessed: 28/11/2020).
UNDP (2019). Human Development Report 2019: Inequalities in Human Development in the 21st Century. UNDP. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/KHM.pdf (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
UNICEF (2018). A Statistical Profile of Child Protection in Cambodia. UNICEF. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/media/711/file#:~:text=Cambodia%20has%20a%20total%20population,17%20years%20(Figure%201.1) (Accessed: 28/11/2020).
World Bank (2019). The World Bank in Cambodia. World Bank. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/cambodia/overview (Accessed: 29/11/2020).
You, S. (2020). Social Protection in ‘Cambodia 2040’ edited by Deth et al (2020). Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Future Forum. Available at: https://www.kas.de/en/web/kambodscha/single-title/-/content/soicial-protection (Accessed: 30/11/2020).