Increasing women’s representation in the Cameroon parliament: do numbers really matter?

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between increasing the number of female legislators in Cameroon and it impact on gender-related policy, from a critical analysis of the participation of individual parliamentarians in influencing parliamentary proceedings and decisions within existing parliamentary structures. The study uses the concept of descriptive and substantive representation within the framework of the critical mass theory to investigate the extent to which an increase in the presence of women in the Cameroonian parliament will affect the quality of women's issues presented to parliament. Eleven female parliamentarians were interviewed. The study reveals that an increase in the number of women does not significantly enhance substantive representation or women's issues. It noted that while the profiles of female parliamentarians influence their participation in decision making structures within parliament, party discipline and the parliamentary system has more influences on the issues and policies debated and voted in parliament than numbers.

Examining the Challenges and Prospects of Women’s Political empowerment in Cameroon Democratic Process

“…Some scholars have argued that an increase in the number of women in national parliaments does not translate to increased promotion of women's interests in bills passed, policies formulated, and necessary outcomes because in most cases members of parliaments are skewed towards party affiliations and interests. This is confirmed by Honorable Mary in an interview with Fokum and Fonjong (2018), where she states that though their number has increased in parliament, they cannot actually translate their numeric strength into articulating bills on the floor that would promote women's courses, especially because party interest/ideology is paramount. Secondly, the political structure is a semipresidential system in which bills are drawn from the executive and parliamentarians i.e.…”

“…Again, Arhikiri et al, (2017) state that the physical presence of Ugandan women in decision-making structures signified a major breakthrough into a domain that was historically not theirs and concluded that the increased presence of Ugandan women enabled a shift in the public conversation while noting the efforts of women leaders, particularly women Members of Parliament (MPs), towards bringing women issues to public bare. Further, Fokum and Fonjong (2018) in their study of the Cameroon Parliament titled 'Increasing women's representation in the Cameroon parliament: do numbers really matter?' while using the parliamentary structures and the state (political regime) to analyze women's issues they interviewed 11 female MPs.…”

“…To this end, women in Cameroon are excluded from public activities as a consequence of a patriarchal view of gender roles. For example, Fokum and Fonjong (2018) interviewed Hon Magdalene on efforts to present bills that would eradicate bride wealth, she states that the question of the payment of bride wealth is a serious problem in her constituency, stating "I cannot table a bill for the removal of bridewealth payment because I consider it a custom that has been practiced in my community for many generations. Trying to change such customs will be going against the traditions and customs of my people".…”