Matthew Lee is a British chef who is married to a Khmer woman in Cambodia. He has been living with his wife for over 6 years now. They have two kids, and live a good life. Their marriage is cross-cultural marriage and something that is becoming increasingly common in the world. However, it is a controversial topic in history as well as the present.
Cross cultural marriage is an unpopular discussion amongst the older generation throughout Cambodia. It refers to a marriage that involved with two or more different cultures between two people from different cultures.
In some parts of the world, including Cambodia, a person who marries outside of their race often faces judgement. This judgement often falls on women, “One time when we were at the market, a woman just come up to my wife’s sister and started to ask did she saw Nou and me holding hands walking in the market? She asked are we married?” said Matt.
Women who are married to a foreigner in Cambodia are often considered to be a person who only thinks about money and wealth. This idea has been rooted in many people’s minds through multiple generations.
In 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia set a law which states that a foreign man who is married to a Khmer woman in the origin needed to be younger than 50 years old or at least have a monthly income of $2,550. The ministry’s reasoning was that “people who are getting married should look like proper couples”. This law was established a few years ago, but it is not completely clear whether people are adhering to this law.
Even though there are people who criticise interracial relationships, there are still others who support a person’s right to marry with someone with a different race without judgement or criticism.
“I told my parents I had got engaged by phone. They were so happy when they found out.” said Matt.
Through the engagement and marriage process, both families offered a lot of support to the couple, despite the fact that their relationship may be looked down upon by others. “I think I was so lucky to marry to Nou. We weren’t being forced to do things that we don’t want to do. We could think of when we want to get married and have children and were be able to raise our children with two different cultures without any worry,” Matt responded.