Bridging the Divide : Uncovering Gender Inequality and Pathways to Equality in Cambodian Higher Education

Sammanfattning

Gender inequality in Cambodian higher education continues to reflect deeper structural, cultural, and institutional challenges rooted in the country’s historical legacies and socio-cultural norms. Despite national reforms and international commitments to gender equality, women especially those from rural and marginalized backgrounds, remain significantly underrepresented, particularly in postgraduate education and STEM fields. Cultural expectations, family responsibilities, economic barriers, and traditional codes such as Chbab Srey continue to shape their life. This thesis explores these disparities through the voices of key stakeholders, including students, lecturers, researchers, gender experts, civil society actors, and education donors. Using a qualitative methodology informed by stakeholder theory, gender mainstreaming, and the Communities of Practice (CoPs) framework, the research examines the lived experiences, perceptions, and institutional practices that sustain gender gaps in higher education. Semistructured interviews were conducted with stakeholders across academia, civil society, and international development sectors, offering the insights into barriers and opportunities for change. The findings reveal that while progress has been made, gender inequality remains embedded in policy gaps, weak implementation, and limited stakeholder collaboration. However, the study also highlights the transformative potential of multi-actor engagement through Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) as a potential “third space” that bring the gap between academic institutions and relevant stakeholders to collaborate and enhance the engagement in order to address gender inequality in higher education. By centering the voices of those directly engaged in the education system, this thesis provides actionable recommendations aimed at promoting gender equality through structural reform, cultural change, and collaborative policymaking contributing to Cambodia’s broader pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 5(Gender Equality).