The Effective Import of the Law by Cameroonian Legislators in Promoting Gender Parity in The Political Participation of Women in Bamusso and Ekondo Titi Sub-Divisions of Ndian Division in the South West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

Politics perceived to be dreaded by women and considered men’s domain, has registered an influx of women aiding sustainable democracy and governance. But in the African continent where culture shapes gender roles and career choices, women tend to experience exclusions from politics. This is the reality of most African countries including Cameroon. Women account for 51% of Cameroon’s population, yet occupy just 13%. Only 6.7% of Mayors in Cameroon and 13% of the Members of Parliament are women. South West Region with 877 councilors, has 139 women. Ndian Division with 225 councilors 23.5% make up female political representation. Bamusso and Ekondo Titi Sub-Divisional Council has four (4) and six (6) female councilors respectively unveiling that from 2013 to 2024, female political participation stands low. Despite Cameroon’s commitment to gender equality, gender gap widens up when it comes to politics in Ndian Division. This paper evaluates the effective import of the law by Cameroonian legislators in promoting gender parity in the political participation of women in Bamusso and Ekondo Titi Sub-Divisions of Cameroon. A mixed method which adopted the descriptive survey design was used, Primary data was collected with an ordinal scale questionnaire and interview guide, with validity and reliability tested by content validity index and the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient reliability test. The Chi Square X² was adopted for analysis with findings that showed that there is not sufficient evidence to support the claim the effective import of the law by Cameroonian legislators does not promote gender parity in the political participation of women in Bamusso and Ekondo Titi Sub-Divisions of Ndian Division in the South West Region of Cameroon. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from the accessible population.