Diversity and Change in Cambodian Households (1998- 2006)

Abstract

In this paper, we analyse recent data on household structure in Cambodia between 1998 and 2006. We begin by briefly placing our analysis in the context of anthropological studies on kinship in Cambodia before the Khmers Rouges (KR) and other countries in South East Asia (mostly neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam).
Our analyses are based on the 1998 General Population Census (GPC 1998) and the first two Cambodia Demographic and Health Surveys (CDHS 2000 and CDHS 2005), which provide the first nationally representative data on household structures in Cambodia since the KR. The GPC 1998 and CDHS surveys provide estimates at different points during the past decade, and interpreting differences as changes over time requires comparability across these different data sources. As this is always difficult to ascertain, we also explore household structure from a non-nationally representative, but longitudinal data collection project. The Mekong Island Population Laboratory (MIPopLab) is a demographic surveillance system launched in 2000 with biannual demographic updates on the population of a circumscribed rural area. While not representative of the whole country, the demographics from this area can be located within the pattern of regional diversity clearly observable in Cambodia.