Where are the women..?

9 Cameroonian Election - woman voting, originally uploaded by lisatoc.

There is a great concern in poor countries like Cameroon where; despite the fact that every year we have more and more women who have access to higher education, the alphabetisation’s rate is still really low. Going forward, I am worried about the lack of role model for these girls, who probably lack something to aim for in a society entirely control by men, and where women are contained in positions without real power, just to make up the numbers, and make a mockery of the diversity of our nation. I met a lot very bright and quite frankly impressive young girls During my time at University or at school in general. I can not emphasize more the need to change for a society where more women are involved, with the kind of passion (yes the passion and empathy) so often associated with them.

After my father's death, I have had the opportunity to witness, not only the strength of a caring and loving mother, but the real power of a woman in action. I know that all over the country there are many strong and intelligent women; maybe just unsure of their destiny, hesitant and prepared to tolerate the lead of another generation of male; yet our beloved country has already lost half of a century in search for freedom and prosperity in the hand of men.

The obvious question is therefore where are the women..? What happens to all those brilliants girls after school?

I was reading an article on “The Independent On Sunday” about the fact that: university women outperform men in almost every single aspect of higher education, according to research published today.

It finds that not only do women outnumber men overall at university, they also outnumber them at every type of university. They are also more likely to get a good degree pass (a 2:1 or a first) and are less likely to drop out.
For good measure, the Government's attempts to widen university participation among disadvantaged groups also appear to have struck more of a chord with women than men. There are more girls who were entitled to free meals at school going on to higher education than boys.

In virtually every ethnic group, too, including Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, where religion or culture may have led to some families downplaying the importance of education to women, more women than men go to university.
Figures cited by HEPI show 49.2 per cent of women now opt for higher education – compared with only 37.2 per cent of men.

Women are further ahead in representation at post-1992 universities (the former polytechnics) – 23.8 per cent of women attend one, compared with 18 per cent of men.
When it comes to degree passes, 63.9 per cent of women graduates obtain a "good" degree (first or upper second) compared with 59.9 per cent of men. The percentage of women obtaining a first (13 per cent) is lower than that of men (13. 9per cent), but because their overall numbers are so much greater, this still means that more women than men are now leaving university with a first.

The report also shows that women outnumber men on most courses – including law and medicine courses – which ultimately lead to high paid employment. Only in technology, physical science, architecture, maths, computer sciences, and engineering are women outnumbered by men.

I am a proud man, in fact so proud that many women that came close found a touch of sexism in me. I have always denied that of course, and I hope that by publicly expressing my call for the women of my country to take over, they will finally believe the feminist in me.
Where are you women..? Now is the time for the Cameroonians women to step up to the plate; because your country needs you! I am Lucien Dissake and I am reporting for Duty!

Lucien Dissake

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