OTHER MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT WOMEN IN THE VILLAGE EXPERIENCE

The respondents of this study were asked about the general problems that they and their fellow women in the village commonly and often encounter. Problems can typically be categorized as (i) basic necessities (viz., illiteracy, general health problems and lack of hospital facilities, poor water and sanitation facilities, poverty), (ii) livelihood (viz., lack of capital for business or enterprise development, seasonal unemployment, lack of rods and markets, lack of water and irrigation facilities, and lack of professional skills), and (iii) human rights (viz., domestic violence, insecurity, and susceptibility to HIV/AIDS). Women’s living, livelihood and human rights come under challenge in course of their exposure and vulnerability to these problems. 

The respondents reported that women usually encounter more than one problem simultaneously.  Problems are provided by district and provinces are (1) Bovel district: Season unemployment (between farming seasons), Domestic violence, Lack of arable land, Lack of capital (for business and enterprise development, Divorce and child custody issue, Prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other health problems, Lack of institutional support, and Poverty (2) Rattanak Mondul district: Health problem, Domestic violence, Husband does not afford the family, Poverty, and  Distant location of hospital,Lack of water, irrigation infrastructure, and other inputs for agricultural production, Seasonal unemployment Divorce issue, and  Prevalence of HIV/AIDS (3) Thmar Pouk district: Seasonal unemployment, Poverty, Lack of water, irrigation infrastructure, and other inputs for agricultural production, Health problem, Domestic violence, Poor rural road infrastructure, Lack of market, Insecurity, and Lack of knowledge on laws among men and women. (4) Phnom Srok district: Seasonal unemployment, Poverty, Over family size (lack of contraception), Alcoholism, gambling and extra-marital relations of men (husband), Illiteracy (of women), Health problem, Lack of water and sanitation facilities, Lack of legal knowledge, Lack of capital for business or enterprise development, and Domestic violence. (5) Angkor Thom district: Poverty, Health problem, Season unemployment, Lack of professional skills, Lack of water, irrigation facilities and other inputs for agricultural production, Illiteracy, Over family size, Prevalence of HIV/AIDS, Lack of water and sanitation facilities, Domestic violence, and Alcoholism, gambling and extra-marital relations of men (husband). (6) Soutr Nikum district: Lack of capital for business development, Poverty, Domestic violence, Illiteracy, Health problems, Poor rural road infrastructure, Seasonal unemployment, Alcoholism, gambling and extra-marital relations of men (husband), Lack of professional skills, Distance location of hospital, Lack of water and sanitation facilities, and Over family size

The reveals of this section that women in all areas encounter some common problems such as poverty, seasonal unemployment, domestic violence, lack of capital for business and enterprise development, health (maternal) problems, and poverty. Experience with these problems certainly affects well-being, welfare and livelihood of women in specific and other family members in general. Some problems are linked and associated with men’s traditional gender ideologies and practices such as alcoholism, gambling and coercive intra-household gender relations (that leads to domestic violence).