The economic and social role of married women in the agricultural production system in the region of Muea–Cameroon

Sammanfattning: Married women play a vital economic and social role in the agricultural production system in Cameroon. These women are mostly involved in food crop production. This research attempts to examine the economic and social roles of married women in the agricultural production system in Muea and the challenges they face which serve as limiting factors to their livelihood. Also, it looks at reasons why despite the contribution of married women, the society does not recognize their important role. The study further addresses issues on how they can overcome these challenges. It further brings out the part the various institutions are playing such as the government, non-governmental organizations, common initiative groups and micro-finance institutions. The major findings of this study are that married women in Muea are major actors in the economic and social development of Muea, through their contributions in agriculture and commerce. However they are hindered in performing these roles due to poverty and gender bias tendencies. Land is a vital resource for the amelioration of their livelihoods but it is controlled by the men due to repugnant beliefs that exclude women’s right of ownership to this vital asset. This study relies on the livelihood concept and the gender-based models for the analysis of empirical data and the findings of the study. The qualitative methodology was used to collect primary and secondary data and techniques such as questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and participant observations were used.