Fouda Mbarga Nicole, Tsinda Sylviane Maffo, Mamiafo Corinne Tchoula, Mbarga Marcel, Tchachoua Lamare, Ngo Likeng Julienne, Ndje Mireille Ndje, Epee Emilienne, Bassong Olga, Boum Yap, Nolna Sylvie Kwedi
Women in Global Health (WGH) Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon.
World Health Organisation, Yaounde, Cameroon.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 Oct 23;4(10):e0001759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001759. eCollection 2024.
Across the world, women make most of the health workforce, but remain underrepresented in academia. This is even worst in Sub-Saharan Africa where women are the least represented as first and last authors in publications, especially in francophone countries. However, there is a lack of data on the reason explaining this inequity. Therefore, we sought to describe challenges which hinder the growth of Cameroonian female researchers and conducted a mixed method study over one year from January 2020 to December 2020. We included Cameroonian female researchers in health. For the quantitative arm, data was collected through an online google questionnaire. In-depth interviews were organized for the qualitative arm. Data was analyzed using python software version 21 for the quantitative arm and content analysis was performed for qualitative data. A total of 119 participants were included in this study. Most participants were aged between 25 and 35 years (72%) and they were Christians (94%). The majority had at least a PhD degree (29.6%) and they came from the West region of Cameroon (34.2%) the Northern regions were grossly underrepresented. More than half of our participants faced issues with balancing career, work, and academia and this is linked to culture. Socioeconomic, sociocultural, institutional, and environmental roadblocks hinder the progress and research productivity of most female researchers. The burden of unpaid maternity leaves, and sexual harassment remains high for most women. The use of English language as lingua Franca is perceived as another barrier for one on two women. However, there are coping strategies adopted by female scientists including the development of soft skills such as self-confidence, determination, and hard work. Extrinsic factors such as global policy, international partnerships, workshops, mentorship, and networking are also supporting women in global health. Gender-based interventions are critical to support women in escaping the midway trap.
在全球范围内，女性构成了卫生人力的大部分，但在学术界的代表性仍然不足。在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，情况更为糟糕，在出版物中，女性作为第一作者和最后作者的比例最低，尤其是在法语国家。然而，缺乏关于解释这种不平等现象原因的数据。因此，我们试图描述阻碍喀麦隆女性研究人员成长的挑战，并在2020年1月至2020年12月的一年时间里进行了一项混合方法研究。我们纳入了喀麦隆从事卫生工作的女性研究人员。在定量研究方面，通过在线谷歌问卷收集数据。为定性研究部分组织了深入访谈。定量研究部分使用Python软件21版进行数据分析，定性数据则进行内容分析。本研究共纳入119名参与者。大多数参与者年龄在25至35岁之间（72%），他们是基督徒（94%）。大多数人至少拥有博士学位（29.6%），他们来自喀麦隆西部地区（34.2%），北部地区的代表性严重不足。超过一半的参与者在平衡职业、工作和学术方面面临问题，这与文化有关。社会经济、社会文化、机构和环境障碍阻碍了大多数女性研究人员的进步和研究生产力。对大多数女性来说，无薪产假和性骚扰的负担仍然很重。对于每两名女性中的一名来说，将英语作为通用语言被视为另一个障碍。然而，女性科学家也采取了应对策略，包括培养自信、决心和努力工作等软技能。全球政策、国际伙伴关系、研讨会、指导和网络等外部因素也在支持全球卫生领域的女性。基于性别的干预措施对于支持女性摆脱中途陷阱至关重要。
