Interview with Polyka Bun

1st PART: Woman’s history comprehension/understanding


• Can you present yourself in a few words?

My name is Polika Bun, actually I'm a lecturer here since 2002. I'm responsible for many lectures in this department like construction and construction materials. It's my first job. I was studying in this university before, I got a scholarship to go to Belgium. When I came back I started to be lecturer here, and then I went back to Belgium to have my master degree.

• How did you come to civil engineering?

When I finished high school, I had no idea of what I would study, but my father had a dream, he wanted to be an electrician engineer, so he asked me to do engineering studies. If I had wanted to be for example a lawyer, at that time it was difficult to find a job after finishing school. So I came here because of my father but then when I started to study, I liked engineering. It's very interesting to be able to understand mathematics and physics, it makes me feel responsible to build something for people, and in one way to rebuild the country. I choose civil engineering because I didn't like the other fields! Electrical engineering is too difficult for me, mechanical is for men, but I like civil engineering, I really want to build something, when I was young I was always playing with my brother and we were trying to create something, imagine that we were building all the country, it's what I always wanted to do when I was young.
I have been working during 1 month on a construction site but I found it really difficult. Especially for women. The worker doesn't want to listen to you. And I don't like to give orders, but I like to share my knowledge with the others so that's why I choose to be a lecturer. But after that now I feel that I don't have enough experience of construction sites. Sometimes I have difficulties to explain the realities of the construction sites because I have more experience in theory. So if I can I will try do spend some time on the construction site, but it's difficult because when you are a lecturer you have a lot of things to prepare and if you want to work on a construction site then they need you for full time.

• Do you think that you will have to face difficulties as a woman in your studies/in your job? Or do you think being  a women facilitated it?

In my promotion there was only 2 women among 35 people. It was very difficult, when I first came here, I was really afraid when I was going down to the cantine, all the men were looking at us, you know in Cambodia the relationships between men and women are not like in Europe, here girls don't like to be watched by men, we are more shy. But in the class the teachers encouraged us a lot, and my family too. I have only one brother and he also did his studies here.
Now there is 10% of women (9 women among 87 men). In total in the university it has increased of 20%, but the girls prefer to go to chemical engineering or IT, I think that girls choose chemical because when you finish your studies you can work in a laboratory, a factory or something like that, which is easier than a construction site. The number of omen increases because more women want to go to civil engineering, and also thanks to the government policy: they give a lot of opportunities for the women students. For example when they begin their studies at the university, they only pay 50% of the fee, which is 400$, it's a big amount of money, especially for students who comes from the province. We also have scholarship from
private companies to help students. And now we have special dormitories for women!
• How do you conciliate professional and personal life?
I don't have children, I'm not married yet. It will be very difficult for me to conciliate my job and my family life if I had to get married. If you want to work a lot then it's difficult to find time, but a lot of lecturers are married and can combine, I don't know me. If I have a family, I think that I will take care of my children more than my husband, but I prefer not to have.
• Could you tell us about realizations you are proud of?
I was really proud to have my master degree in Belgium, the subject was: "modelisation des structures a parois minces par la methode des elements finis".
• What is your next challenge?

I want to be a professor and I really want to be a researcher, I want to sacrify my life to do research, I want to continue my studies in the durability of eco-concrete.




2nd PART:  General debate on woman engineer: differences and new things a woman can bring in a male team

• Do you think men and women work differently? Could you give us concrete examples (personal works, project works)?

Yes, I think women have a more sustain way to react, when there is a conflict for example. They have a strong determination. The way to resolve the conflict is different, the girls listen more and understand more. When they decide something, men and women are also different. When the men decide, they think about the result, but the girls are more likely to have a lot of sentiments, to think about the problems, for example on the construction site  the girls understand more the difficulties of the workers.
I red an article about the ability of women to do multitasking, I don't believe in that, I think it depends on the experience.
In a group, female student can manage more, they are more able to organize than the men. Most of them study hard, it's because they are afraid, they have to find a place in the group, they need to be very strong to be able to have the same opportunities to find a job than men. The men can help to do a lot of work, some men are very qualified in their studies and they can work together but sometimes I feel that they don't like to be ordered, they don't like the women to tell them what they have to do, they always want to command. The girls, when they are in a group, they can listen, and when they have the opportunity they can explain. It's a different way to work together.

• Do you think that a mixed team is helpful for working atmosphere and/or is linked to team performance?Yes, in terms of atmosphere and also in productivity. It's better to have a mixed group because I think that psychologically, the men try to show that they are better than women. And the women also try to find her place in the team, so if people always try to be better than the others, then you have a better productivity. And a better atmosphere too, it's more relax when boy study with girls, I already asked that to my students and they prefer to study in mixed groups. For me the best team would have the same number of boys and girls.



3rd PART:  Vidéo

• Bonjour, pourriez vous vous présenter?

Bonjour, je m'appelle Polika, je suis actuellement enseignante a l'institut de technologie du Cambodge dans le département de Génie Civil

• Quel conseil donneriez-vous aux jeunes filles qui hésitent a se lancer dans des études d'ingénieur?
Je voudrais leur dire qu'il ne faut pas avoir peur de l'ingénierie, en plus bien sur que c'est un domaine ou l'on a besoin d'être fort en mathématiques, physique et chimie mais être fort ou non dans ces 3 matières ne veut pas dire que l'on est une fille ou un garçon. Si vous êtes fort en mathématiques, physique et chimie, vous pouvez entrer dans l'ingénierie sans problème. Et en plus, si vous avez un problème d'argent, il ne faut pas avoir peur, vous pouvez venir ici apprendre le génie civil parce qu'on a beaucoup d'aides du gouvernement, des entreprises privées, et aussi de personnes privées, et également d'universités partenaires. Peut-être que vous avez peur de ne pas trouver de travail après les études, il ne faut pas penser qu'être ingénieur c'est forcement être sur le chantier, il y a d'autres options bien sur, vous pouvez aller dans des bureaux d'études, vous pouvez également travailler dans des commerces spécialisés dans le domaine de la construction, pourquoi pas être manager, donc il ne faut pas avoir peur si vous n'aimez pas le chantier.

• Quelle a été votre principale difficulté en tant que femme travaillant dans le domaine de l'ingénierie?

Ma difficulté principale est que j'ai peur de ne pas être acceptée par les hommes, je ne veux pas être une fleur qui décore sur une table, je voudrais qu'ils m'acceptent car j'ai les mêmes capacités qu'eux, je ne veux pas être la parce qu'ils veulent une femme dans leur entreprise, pour "faire bien".

• Quelle a été votre principale satisfaction en tant que femme travaillant dans le domaine de l'ingénierie?

Pouvoir finir mes études avec de bonnes notes et pouvoir les continuer a l'étranger et obtenir mon diplôme de DEA. Je suis très heureuse de pouvoir partager mes connaissances scientifiques avec les autres, avec les jeunes. Je les encourage chaque cours a continuer a travailler, a étudier, a ne pas abandonner leurs études au milieu du cursus universitaire, et spécialement les filles. Je le dis a chaque fois: montrez que vous pouvez faire tout ce que les hommes peuvent faire.

• Quel est votre prochain challenge?

Mon prochain challenge est de finir mon doctorat et être chercheur, j'aime tellement la recherche! Et continuer a partager mes connaissances scientifiques et personnelles quand je le peux avec les jeunes, je voudrais qu'ils continuent encore plus loin que moi!