Women behind the wheels

Pheng Sotheany was relaxing at home one February afternoon when the phone rang.

“I passed!”

She shouted with happiness. The caller had just told her that she was accepted to work at UNDP – as a driver.

“My heart was pounding so hard,” she recalled the moment that made her the first female driver at the UNDP Cambodia Country Office.

In a male-dominated occupation, many people may find it unusual to see her in this role. But that doesn’t bother her; she beat 58 other applicants – 54 of them were men – who vied for the job.

“If men can do it, so can I, “the 21-year-old woman said confidently.

It is not unusual to see Cambodian women driving personal cars. But it is quite a rare sight women working as drivers for companies or organisations.

Pheng Sotheany may have started a trend – at least within UNDP Cambodia. Two months after she joined the organisation, Meas Ratha, another Cambodian woman, was also employed as a driver through the same competitive recruitment process. Both women are the first women drivers ever employed by the Country Office, bringing the total number of drivers to seven. The other five are men.

For both of them, the first day on the job was like a journey into an unknown territory.

“I was assigned to drive a passenger, a man, to an appointment. I was a bit scared that I might do something wrong. I was afraid that he may not like me. But I told myself that it is usual work. I used to do it at home and other places. Why can’t I do it here?” Meas Ratha said.

Recruiting women drivers is part of the broader commitment of UNDP Cambodia to promote gender balance in the workplace. As of August this year, the Country Office’s workforce consisted of 42 women and 42 men. For the first time, gender parity has been reached in the workforce. The percentage also showed an increase of 3.4 percent in the number of women employees since August 2009. Then the office employed 35 women versus 40 men.

“UNDP is an equal employment opportunity employer. We encourage women and men and other minority people to apply for every job vacancy,” Seng Samyith, the human resources manager, said. He added that, in every recruitment process, his unit makes it a priority to ensure that women are included in both the initial and short-listing phases.

Having just finished high school, Pheng Sotheany was hunting for a job, armed with nothing more than a driver’s license. Then she came across a UNDP announcement recruiting a driver. She said the note – “Women are highly encouraged to apply” – in the announcement moved her to bid for the job.

Meas Ratha had worked as a driver for a private company before. But there she said often she had to work late into the night and on the weekends without any overtime compensation. She was looking for her way out when a friend pointed her to a UNDP job announcement for driver. She checked the Country Office website and leaned about the professional and fairer working conditions, including the eight-hour daily shift and time off on weekends. Benefits and entitlements offered by the organisation also appeared attractive to her, so she decided to apply, she said.

Staff members have been very encouraged to see women finally making in-roads into the occupation traditionally seen only fit for men.

“I do want more women drivers to join my team. Having women work with us is good because we advocate for gender balance in our workplace,” said Phim Sam Ath, one of the male drivers.

Meash Kim Huot, another male driver, agreed.

However, “it might be a bit tough for women drivers. In case they encounter technical error such as flat tire, bad road condition or getting bogged down, some women might find it hard to face the situation,” he said.

Chay Seak Hy, the head of administration unit, said competency and high commitment to the job matter the most. If female – or male – drivers encounter problems beyond their abilities to handle during their assignments, there is a support system in place to assist them.

“It is true that men are physically stronger than women. But the thing is that they have to send the cars to the garage for checking first and having problems fixed before traveling,” he said.

The two female drivers begin each day with the basic routines that all UNDP drivers follow. In the morning, they check the water, radiator, engine oil, break oil, clean the vehicles, and log in the kilometres traveled on the odometer. They do the same at the end of the day before going home.

“They take care of their cars to make sure that passengers feel comfortable riding with them. The two strictly adhere to traffic laws, concentrate on their driving as well as respect other drivers to ensure road safety,” said Keo Chhunny, who supervises the Country Office’s vehicle fleet. “Their performances are very good.”

Pheng Sotheany, meanwhile, keeps her eyes on the horizon beyond the wheel. She plans to enroll in a bachelor programme in accountancy.“I want to work as an accountant for an organisation in the future,” she said, expressing desire to move onto a desk job one day.