This study analyzes the distributional impact that could have gender wage differentials on poverty and income
inequalities in Cameroon. It specifically focuses on public sector workers and those in the formal private sector.
The method used to capture income gaps between men and women is a revised version of the Oaxaca Blinder
standard model. The impact of gender wage differentials on the standard of living is apprehended from the model
developed by Carlos Gradin et al (2006). The study uses data of the Survey on Employment and the Informal
Sector conducted in 2005.
The results indicate that in absence of discrimination in the formal labour market, women have would have the
same hourly income with men; and in the formal private sector they would find themselves even with a higher
salary. This thanks to the returns to education which are very high for them compared to men, therefore allowing
women to offset the gap in work experience. The impact of gender wage gap on poverty shows that the
eradication of discrimination in the formal sector would help to improve the living conditions of people living in
households where at least one woman exercises in the formal sector. At the national level, it would also reduce the
incidence of poverty, but the impact on income inequalities is not very clear.
The study recommends a greater awareness of political and social actors on the impact of gender wage gap on the
well-being of people who are victims; the operationnalisation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against women and the implementation of the gender approach for recruitments in Cameroon
civil service.