However, three decades of conflict have disrupted traditional family life, leaving women with less protection and support. Some of the most vulnerable groups now are households headed by women and older women who have no family and no means of support. There are significant areas of gender disparity in Cambodia, particularly in educational attainment and income. The literacy rate for women in rural areas is 55 percent compared with 80 percent for men. Girls also tend to drop out of school earlier because they start work earlier or because secondary schools are far from home.
Women suffer from both wage and nonwage discrimination.
Men earn 33 percent more for equivalent work, and dominate the private and public corridors of power. Prostitution and domestic violence are serious social problems, with an average of 42 percent of sex workers HIV-positive in 1998. Perhaps the most serious problem for women in Cambodia is the poor quality of reproductive health. The relatively new MWVA is already taking steps to increase awareness of the need to address gender inequality in Cambodia. Appendix 2 addresses gender issues in more detail.