Abstract/Summary
Despite recent declines in university enrolment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, the number of university students has continued to grow in Cambodia. In fact, in its recent Education 2030 Roadmap, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) estimates that there will be twice as many students enrolled in higher education in 2030 as there were in 2018 (MoEYS 2019a, 36). The field students choose as their major when they enrol in higher education orients their pathway into future career opportunities and impacts the country’s educated workforce. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has pushed for more students to enrol in STEM majors especially to contribute to Cambodia’s economic development future (MoEYS 2019b). Thus, understanding how students decide on their university major can shed light on how to best support and encourage more women and others from marginalised groups to pursue a pathway through higher education that is meaningful to them and their families. This paper provides qualitative insight into how four young women (Kravann, Samedy, Sophal, and Pheara; pseudonyms) chose their university major by engaging with and reflecting on guidance they received from their parents.

English