International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

The article examines the dynamics of culture as they influence the way women are perceived by men in Anglophone Cameroon. In doing so, the authors analyze data from a sample of 270 men and 60 women in six communities in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, the only two English-speaking regions of the country. A triangulated method of data collection was used (questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI). The results of the study show that culture has a considerable influence on the way men in Anglophone Cameroon perceive women. The article argues that culture does not only affect men’s perception of women but it also impinges on women’s socio-economic empowerment and constrains gender equality. Education and sensitization of both sexes from childhood on equal rights is recommended.  

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Abstract

The outcome of poverty reduction projects (PRPs) largely depends on the way poverty is conceptualized. Research has shown that there are usually discrepancies in the way poverty is conceptualized in PRPs and the way poor women and men perceive poverty. Using empirical data, this paper highlights the fact that this difference in the conceptualization of poverty negatively affects the success of PRPs.  The paper contributes to the debate that to increase the success rate of poverty reduction projects, poverty has to be conceptualized from the point of view of the poor.

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