Friday
Apr152011
Is Culture to Be Kept or Transformed?
Friday, April 15, 2011 at 11:13AM
By Raksmey Var
Country Representative, Lotus Outreach Cambodia
Culture is an integral part, or “the heart,” of a society. Without it, a nation is incomplete. Yet cultural traditions often perpetuate inequality and gender discrimination. In China, for example, a baby boy is considered a blessing whereas to a baby girl, her gender is a curse. Cultural tradition dictates that the boy will maintain the clan by passing on the family surname to the next generation. As a result, boys are considered more valuable than girls and when a family is limited to only one child, the preferred gender is obvious.
The discrimination does not stop here. After birth, sons and daughters are treated differently and unfairly. Traditional gender roles dictate that a boy’s duty is to act as the breadwinner whereas a girl’s duty is to act as the homemaker and caretaker. Consequently, little emphasis is placed on girls’ education. These traditional roles also have an effect on the psychology of girls and women: many become dependent and lazy and just wait to be married off to a rich guy.
Girls are discouraged by society at large from obtaining higher levels of education, because well-educated and capable women are considered too proud and arrogant, and a cause of divorce. Many men prefer not to marry well-educated women, as they don’t like their wife to be smarter. Thus there is not only a lack of incentive for educating girls, but female ignorance is often considered a virtue.
Raksmey (center, back) with a Girls' Access to Education (GATE) scholarship family in Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia
Women who lack education, skills, or the capacity for self sufficiency are incapable of supporting themselves. They are voiceless. They have no choice but to remain patient, accept their arrangements, and even learn to live with domestic violence and abuse. Given their high level of dependency, to do otherwise is tantamount to suicide.
Culture has a strong influence on girls’ perceptions of themselves. Because they are conditioned to feel less valuable than boys, they often believe their futures don’t deserve the same level of investment. They accept subordination not only to their husbands and fathers, but to their male siblings - girls often work so their brothers can attend school. In sum, they are not encouraged to become educated, self-reliant or pursue their dreams.
I asked a waitress at the Freedom Hotel restaurant where I stayed in Siem Reap why she quit school at grade 8. “Our family was poor,” she replied, “and since daughter is not as important and valuable as son, I quit school to help my family eke out a living and to support my older brother’s education.” I have very little doubt that this mindset is strongly influenced by traditional culture.
We need to recognize that protecting human rights and protecting culture are often antithetical goals. To pursue both at the same time is to ignore the deep roots of gender inequality; if this culture is maintained, so is gender discrimination. We need to highlight gender issues and their sources within a culture, otherwise they will remain ignored and unquestioned.
Country Representative, Lotus Outreach Cambodia
Culture is an integral part, or “the heart,” of a society. Without it, a nation is incomplete. Yet cultural traditions often perpetuate inequality and gender discrimination. In China, for example, a baby boy is considered a blessing whereas to a baby girl, her gender is a curse. Cultural tradition dictates that the boy will maintain the clan by passing on the family surname to the next generation. As a result, boys are considered more valuable than girls and when a family is limited to only one child, the preferred gender is obvious.
The discrimination does not stop here. After birth, sons and daughters are treated differently and unfairly. Traditional gender roles dictate that a boy’s duty is to act as the breadwinner whereas a girl’s duty is to act as the homemaker and caretaker. Consequently, little emphasis is placed on girls’ education. These traditional roles also have an effect on the psychology of girls and women: many become dependent and lazy and just wait to be married off to a rich guy.
Girls are discouraged by society at large from obtaining higher levels of education, because well-educated and capable women are considered too proud and arrogant, and a cause of divorce. Many men prefer not to marry well-educated women, as they don’t like their wife to be smarter. Thus there is not only a lack of incentive for educating girls, but female ignorance is often considered a virtue.
Raksmey (center, back) with a Girls' Access to Education (GATE) scholarship family in Banteay Meanchey, CambodiaWomen who lack education, skills, or the capacity for self sufficiency are incapable of supporting themselves. They are voiceless. They have no choice but to remain patient, accept their arrangements, and even learn to live with domestic violence and abuse. Given their high level of dependency, to do otherwise is tantamount to suicide.
Culture has a strong influence on girls’ perceptions of themselves. Because they are conditioned to feel less valuable than boys, they often believe their futures don’t deserve the same level of investment. They accept subordination not only to their husbands and fathers, but to their male siblings - girls often work so their brothers can attend school. In sum, they are not encouraged to become educated, self-reliant or pursue their dreams.
I asked a waitress at the Freedom Hotel restaurant where I stayed in Siem Reap why she quit school at grade 8. “Our family was poor,” she replied, “and since daughter is not as important and valuable as son, I quit school to help my family eke out a living and to support my older brother’s education.” I have very little doubt that this mindset is strongly influenced by traditional culture.
We need to recognize that protecting human rights and protecting culture are often antithetical goals. To pursue both at the same time is to ignore the deep roots of gender inequality; if this culture is maintained, so is gender discrimination. We need to highlight gender issues and their sources within a culture, otherwise they will remain ignored and unquestioned.
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