Gender Difference and Job Quality: Application in Cameroon

Abstract The objective of this article is to examine to what extent gender differences exist in the quality of employment in the labor market in Cameroon. For this, we use data from the fourth Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM4). This survey has the advantage of covering the national territory and providing information on the socio-demographic characteristics of workers as well as on the dimensions of job quality. In addition to examining gender inequalities in the different dimensions of job quality, a principal component analysis was carried out to construct a composite index of overall job quality. The results establish that the probability for women to hold a better job is lower compared to men. The only possibilities that women have of accessing quality jobs exist when they have managerial status and when they work in large companies. Inequalities in access to better quality jobs to their disadvantage are more the result of differences in unobservable characteristics rather than differences in individual characteristics. JEL Rating: J16, J23, C25, C35