Women in Mauritius

Women in Mauritius
Two female Sega music dancers (center and right) from Mauritius.
General Statistics
Maternal mortality (per 100,000)53 (2020)
Women in parliament20% (2020)
Women over 25 with secondary education45.2% (2010)
Women in labour force50% (2018)
Gender Inequality Index[1]
Value0.347 (2021)
Rank82nd out of 191
Global Gender Gap Index[2]
Value0.679 (2022)
Rank105th out of 146

Women in Mauritius refers to the social demographic of women in Mauritius. Women's role in Mauritian society [3] changed throughout the 20th century. Historically, Mauritian culture maintained patriarchal power structures, in domains inclusive of family and work life. Women's contribution in the workforce increased due to the creation of 'Export Processing Zone', by the Mauritian Government.[4] This shift resulted in a surge in 'dual-earner' and working single-mother households.[5]

Furthermore, in 2008, Mauritius established the Employment Rights Act. The Act forbids discrimination within the workplace and stipulates equal remuneration for work of equal value.[6] Both females and males, regardless of their marital status, have the legal right to choose their own profession, in Civil Code and under The Act.[7]

  1. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Global Gender Gap Report 2022" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Successful women in Mauritius". 14 June 2022.
  4. ^ Mauritius Women in Culture, Business, & Travel. California: World Trade Press. 2010. p. 1.
  5. ^ Blin, Myriam (June 2008). "Export-Oriented Policies, Women's Work Burden and Human Development in Mauritius" (PDF). Journal of Southern African Studies. 34 (2): 239–253. doi:10.1080/03057070802037910. S2CID 154132063.
  6. ^ "Mauritius" (PDF). OECD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE. 2019.
  7. ^ "Mauritius" (PDF). 2019.