Gender analysis of the laws and policies that govern the cocoa, palm oil, rubber and timber supply chains in Cameroon

This report seeks to determine from a gender perspective the extent to which the laws and policies governing cocoa, palm oil, rubber and timber supply chains in Cameroon address the different roles of men and women and their access and control of resources so as to bring about gender equality and equity in those commodity sectors. Women’s participation and eventual benefits from forest products depends on diverse factors including; intra household power dynamics, cultural norms, laws, policies and regulations (Colfer et al., 2015) that govern the sector. But the differences in gender roles/responsibilities of men and women coupled with the power relations in terms of access to and control over resources, pose a major challenge for women in the production of and benefits from cocoa, palm oil, rubber and timber. Therefore, this report aims to valorise and mainstream women in national projects, programmes and policies and enable women and particularly smallholders to enjoy equal opportunities in the above-mentioned sectors. A gender analysis according to March (et al. 2005) is an analysis that explores and highlights the relationships of women and men in society, and the inequalities in those relationships, by asking: Who does what? Who has what? Who decides? How? Who gains? Who loses? When we pose these questions, we also ask: Which men? Which women? Gender analysis breaks down the divide between the private sphere (involving personal relationships) and the public sphere (which deals with relationships in wider society). It looks at how power relations within the household interrelate with those at the international, state, market, and community level.