The State of Cameroon and the issue of women's rights from 1975 to 2020

Abstract

With the wind of independence in the 1960s, Cameroonian women, driven by a popular dynamic, embarked on a process of democratisation, which led to independence and later to the fight for women’s rights. The present research field is based on the contribution of the State to the promotion and respect of women’s rights in Cameroon. This historical study was carried out using multiple sources, mainly written documents and oral testimonies collected during grouped and individual interviews. The work of sociology, legal sciences, anthropology and economics has made it possible to move beyond the purely historical field to a transdisciplinary perspective. A threefold methodological approached has been used that is, descriptive, explanatory and analytical has made it possible to retrace the actions of the State by explaining the reasons for its initiative in favour of women and studying in depth the consequences of this commitment to women in Cameroon from the period of independence until 2020, that is, for five decades. At the end of this study, we can say that the State of Cameroon since independence has strongly worked in favour of equality between men and women, setting up strategies, signing agreements so that, women should be at the same level as men. In one way or the other, the State made it possible to improve their living conditions and thus contributed to their empowerment. In spite of all the actions of the State, it is important to point out that, despite all these actions, there is still a lot to do.