Sociocultural Barriers to Women’s Political Leadership in the North Region of Cameroon

AbstractThe issue of gender studies in general and women’s political leadership is increasingly gaining impetus in scientific discourse in Cameroon in general and in the north region in particular. Despite comprising of more than half the north region population, Women are more active in politics as voters and helpers for activities related to politics, and specifically political leadership in the north region of Cameroon. They perform the majority of campaign activities linked to mobilisations. Yet across the north region, women face an array of barriers to achieving their full potential in political leadership, from restrictive cultural practices to discriminatory traditional laws and highly segmented familial division of labour. This paper addresses the various social and cultural barriers that drag women backward as far as political leadership and decision making are concerned. From the onset of democracy in Cameroon, cultural barriers, social and religious cumbersome limits women’s entry in political leadership.