Abstract

The absence of women from political life and leadership positions undermined democracy and women’s empowerment, the Commission on the Status of Women heard during discussions on the enhanced participation of women in development and on the equal participation of women in decision-making processes. In a meeting chaired by the Commissions Vice-Chairperson Dicky Komar (Indonesia), the discussion was focused on the need to create a more conducive environment that fully enabled women to participate in development. Therefore, this study seeks to determine role of women in household decision making in Bokova village in Buea Cameroon. Objectives for this study include; to describe the demographic characteristics of respondents, to examine women’s role in decision making positions within the households, to identify the determinants of women’s contribution to decision making in household, to examine the effects of women’s participation in decision making position on household and to identify challenges with women’s decision making at household levels. Data for this study was collected with the help of questionnaires and a sample of 30 was used. Findings show better decisions are being taken in households with the involvement of women in decision making in households. Recommendations such as: the increased involvement of women in the decision making of households which will lead to more relevant decisions and less stress for the man with a helping hand (the woman) by his side, Women being given better education and improving husband’s education because educational attainment exposes husbands to necessary information in evaluating the importance of women’s involvement in decision making in the household.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The absence of women from political life and leadership positions undermined democracy and women’s empowerment, the Commission on the Status of Women heard during discussions on the enhanced participation of women in development and on the equal participation of women in decision-making processes. In a meeting chaired by the Commissions Vice-Chairperson Dicky Komar (Indonesia), the discussion was focused on the need to create a more conducive environment that fully enabled women to participate in development.  He noted that the 2005 World Summit reaffirmed that gender equality was essential to advancing development and peace.  Measures for enhanced education, health and work for women were among the strategic priorities identified.

Stressing that education of women still lagged behind that of men, Bernadette Lahai, Member of Sierra Leone’s Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, noted that women were more likely to be illiterate than men, and girls were less likely to access schooling than boys.  No country could develop if it failed to tap women’s talent for full participation in society.  It had been generally found that the returns to educating women were higher than those of men; hence the adage, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate the nation.”

Underrepresentation of women in senior leadership is problematic for several reasons. First, a lack of women in senior positions may discourage the lower-level women to aspire to an upper level position, because they feel that it is un-tenable at all. Highly qualified and experienced women may thus not apply for upper level positions. As a result, organizations lose the opportunity to capitalize on the skills and talent of a portion of their workforce. Further, when employees perceive a lack of women in upper management, they may form ideas about the implicit values and culture of the organization, such as it is an ‘‘old-boys club,’’ or discriminatory in its hiring and retention practices. Therefore, there are so many reasons that barriers women from moving to upper managerial position and from those factors some of them are described as follows:

There exist few women in decision making positions both nationally because of gender stereotypes. These are generalized beliefs about the characteristics and qualities attributed to men and women in a society. In general, men are characterized as aggressive, risk-taking, decisive, and autonomous (agentic attributes), whereas women are characterized as kind, caring, relational, and humble (communal attributes) (Collins & Singh, 2006; Sikdar & Mitra, 2008). Gender stereotypes can be described as the characteristics, attitudes, values and behaviors that society specifies as appropriate for the particular gender. The differences may have arisen not just from biological differences but also from sex role socialization during childhood and the way in which men and women develop psychologically. Gender stereotypes have consistently demonstrated that men are generally seen as more agent and more competent than women, while women are seen as more expressive and communal than men (Duher and Bono; Sczesny and Stahlberg, as cited in Ginige, 2007). Gender stereotyping also explains why women and men are over-represented in particular types of jobs. Women dominate in “care” occupations such as nursing, teaching, social care and especially child-care. Men tend to be concentrated in construction and management areas associated with physical strength, risk-taking or decision-making. Such gender biases are also reflected in organizational practices. Male-dominated sectors tend to be more unionized, and men are more frequently selected for managerial positions because, some argue, they are perceived to be more willing to work longer hours and supervise others. Occupational, sectorial or time-related segregation can also be explained by women’s preferences for job security or the manner in which societies force them to balance work and family responsibilities. These factors, among others including structural and legal context, could help explain the over-representation of women in public sector jobs and/or part-time work.

Also, organizational and managerial values in some organizations tend to be characterized by stereotypical views of women’s roles, attributes, preferences and commitments. These in turn influence decisions about who is suitable for particular positions, which is seen to have potential and so forth. When women find themselves selected or assessed on the basis of group membership rather than on their experience and abilities, they experience gender discrimination.

According to Eagly & Johannesen (as cited in Miller, 2006) leadership and management continue to be the domain of men that is ‘thinks manager, think male’. This has implications for women and men, rightly or wrongly, are perceived in a particular way in society, which permeates organizations. They are assigned gender roles, which are shared beliefs that apply to individuals on the basis of their socially identified sex.

The ILO firmly believed that action to strengthen the capacities of its tripartite constituents Governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations, to promote positive change for gender equality hinged on men’s and women’s equal participation in meaningful social dialogue.  Social dialogue also meant creating partnerships and networks with local and national women’s associations.  Organization was an essential tool for women to gain confidence, increase their representation and acquire a voice in local, national and international employment policymaking.

Opening the afternoon panel on the equal participation of women and men in decision-making, Commission Vice-Chairperson Szilvia Szabo (Hungary) said equal access to decision-making and leadership at all levels was a necessary precondition for the proper functioning of democracy.  Equal participation in political affairs made Governments more representative, accountable and transparent.  It also ensured that the interests of women were taken into account in policymaking.  Women, however, had traditionally been excluded from decision-making processes.

The human right to full and equal participation in power and decision-making included, among other things, the right to participate on equal terms with men in shaping and implementing decisions and policies affecting them, their families, communities and societies.  Also, the presence of women in the halls of power was not sufficient.  That was mere tokenism.  What mattered was the effect of that presence, (UN, 2006).

The pace of development in any country largely depends upon the people’s participation including women. Women constitute almost half of the total population of the country. They can play a vital role in economic development of the family and of the nation. But in most developing countries, the status of women is domestic in nature. Women have been considered as a docile daughter, a complacent wife and a dependent mother. Women’s participation in economic activities in general and in agriculture in particular has remained low.

This problem was, perhaps surprisingly, particularly acute for middle class women who face the greatest social obstacles in engaging in work outside the home, leaving them few choices to be full time housewives. As a result, many women spend most of their time on housework. Women also perform as paid labor within their homes, such as taking in piece work or assisting in family productive activities, such as farm work, running a family business, etc. Typically, however, any work that receives little pay is considered unimportant and labelled as “women’s work”, despite the fact that such works actually bring tangible economic benefits to the family.

Having a greater say in household decisions enables women to influence not only their own psychological and physical wellbeing, but also that of their children. Women who have a say in decisions pertaining to family planning and household expenditure are associated with better outcomes in terms of health and education (Mason, 2003; Acharya et al., 2010; Hou & Ma, 2011). This makes it important to identify the key factors that enable women to make these decisions. While a number of factors can determine women’s say in household decision-making (HDM). Chowdhury et al. (2009) observed that women are good partners of the socioeconomic development of the country in general and the family in particular. They can contribute significantly to the socioeconomic upliftment of the family if proper environment with facilities can be ensured. So, it is a crucial need to study into the matter and identify the major factors which the women are acute to encounter in the process of their work. This study therefore sets to investigate the role and contribution of women in household decision making in Bokova village in Cameroon.

 

1.2 Statement of the Problem

In Cameroon, women account for 49.96% of the total population according to the World Bank collection of development indicators. This percentage is almost half of the entire country’s population thus; any political, economic and social activity that doesn’t involve and benefit women cannot be fruitful because such an activity is based on half the manpower, half the knowledge, and half the effort, of that which is available in the country. This numerical strength has not been translated to equal treatment in the society. Apart from numerical strength, women have great potentials to evolve a new economic order, thereby helping in accelerating social and political development and consequently transforming the society into a better one.

Since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, women’s visibility in public life had grown, she continued.  In 1995, women represented 11.3 per cent of all legislators.  In 2006, they represented 16.3 per cent which is known to be the highest percentage in history.  More women judges had been appointed and more women had reached the highest executive positions in public and private companies.  At the same time, persistent barriers to women’s entry into positions of decision-making persisted, and equitable participation remained a challenge.

Cameroonian women are contributing their quota to the development of the nation, but their potentials seem not to have been fully tapped due to some constraints. Disparities still exist between men and women in education, employment and income opportunities, and control over assets, personal security and participation in the development process. This may be as a result of lingering constraints including poor economic condition of Cameroonian women, lack of adequate legislation and policies to support the rights of women, unequal access to education, limited access to land, lack of assertiveness among women etc. Level of education, income level, and men’s perception on the need for women’s participation in development have been viewed as determining factors in women’s participation in household decision making processes.

Though some of these empowerment initiatives exist, the effectiveness of these initiatives in promoting the participation of Cameroon women in decision making processes has not been empirically examined and documented. This dearth of research has created the need for this study. Thus, the key policy question is: What is the role of women in household decision making in Bokova village?

1.3 Research Objectives

1.3.1 General Objectives

The main objective of the study is to examine the role of women in household decision making in Bokova village in Buea Cameroon.

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the study are;

1. To describe the demographic characteristics of respondents
2. To examine women’s role in decision making positions within the households
3. To identify the determinants of women’s contribution to decision making in household
4. To examine the effects of women’s participation in decision making position on household
5. To identify challenges with women’s decision making at household levels