A case study of the bui division in Cameroon's rural women's diversification of rural occupations to support rural families' livelihoods

Abstract

Rural women's efforts to sustain their families' livelihoods by diversifying their occupations in the rural areas cannot be ignored. Although rural women attempt to maintain the household's livelihood through the diversification of rural enterprises, demographic factors influence their struggle. The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the demographic factors that affect rural women in Bui Division. It was necessary to conduct a study of the relevant literature in order to achieve this goal. The next step was gathering data on the ground, which included on-the-spot observations, interviews, and the completion of questionnaires. 749 rural women participated in our study (20 years of age and above). Despite the fact that age is a significant factor influencing rural women's decision-making and the manner in which they diversify their rural activities, the findings show that "age" as a demographic factor has no effect on how rural women diversify their rural activities in order to maintain their households' livelihoods. Approximately 45% of rural women who only had informal education were unable to support their family' livelihoods through diversification of rural occupations because they could not read, write, or comprehend. Unmarried and divorced rural women have a negative impact on the diversification of rural activities necessary to sustain households' livelihoods. According to research, rural women with "big" households are better able to diversify their income sources than those with "small" houses.