Gender and Income Inequality as Determinants of Poverty in Maroua – Far North of Cameroon

Nanche Robert, university of maroua

This article examines if the income inequality that exists between men and women affects their feeding habits, health seeking behaviour and domestic comfort. The quota sampling method was used to collect data, 849 questionnaires were administered to 432 men (50.9%) and 412 women (49.1%). The systematic non-random method was used by which the administration started from a particular individual and then five other individuals were skipped before selecting the next one. It was discovered that in all income categories, men significantly suffer from hunger than women, do not significantly vary their meals in all the income categories unlike women and women have a better health seeking behaviour than men: men significantly endure their sickness by not using any method while women significantly go to the hospital than men in three income categories. Women own more durable goods than men. Despite men’s significant higher income, they do not significantly use health services, feed better nor possess more durable goods than women. Therefore, there is no feminization of poverty in Maroua-Cameroon.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Health and Morbidity, Families, Unions and Households

See paper.