Addressing gender inequalities in access to quality education and health care in Cameroon
Promoting Women’s Economic Rights in Cameroon (WERC Project)
Operational Working Group (OWG)
“Addressing gender inequalities in access to quality education and health care in Cameroon”
May 27, 2022, 09:00 am (Cameroon time) at S.T Muna Foundation, Yaoundé
- Background
For several years, boys have had more privileged access to education in Cameroon. In 2018, the percentage of women over 25 with some level of secondary education is 32.5% compared to 39.2% for men. At the primary level, 110% of girls versus 125% of boys are enrolled in school (gross enrollment rate). At the secondary level, the gap is widening, with 53% of girls enrolled compared to 65% of boys (Education Statistical Yearbook, 2018). Beyond the costs associated with schooling, adolescent girls face additional barriers, particularly at the secondary level, primarily due to the burden of household chores and the weight of culture. Similarly, in terms of health, many inequalities exist between boys and girls. These inequalities can be explained by a number of factors such as lack of access to contraceptive methods, combined with low coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, lack of information on how to prevent certain diseases and conditions, low rate of assisted childbirth, inadequate management of obstetric complications, limited access to health services and health insurance…etc. As a result, women’s labour force participation in adulthood remains low and the gender wage gap persists. Despite the reforms put in place by the government of Cameroon in its Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (2010-2020) and, more recently, in its new Growth and Employment Strategy 2030-2030 (NDS 30), to ensure equal access to education and health care for girls/women and boys/men, gender inequalities persist. It is within this framework that the Nkafu Policy Institute, a Think tank at the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation is organizing the second session of the Operational Working Group (OWG) in the framework of its WERC project on the theme: “Addressing gender inequalities in access to quality education and health care in Cameroon”.
- Objectives of the working group
The overall objective of this OWG is to discuss ways to address gender inequalities in access to quality education and health care in order to promote the economic rights of women in Cameroon. Specifically, it will be matter of:
- Analyzing the reforms put in place by the government to promote equal access to quality education and health care for both boys and girls and any remaining inconsistencies.
- Assessing barriers hindering access to quality education and health care services by Cameroonian girls/women.
- Discussing the factors for higher school dropout among girls in some regions of Cameroon.
- Outlining the opportunities for girls/women to access quality education and health care services in Cameroon.
- Proposing policy recommendations to governments and other stakeholders to improve women’s access to quality education and health care services.
- Participants
This event will bring together the members of the Operational Working Group put in place by the Foretia Foundation within the framework of the WERC project.
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