Africa’s Social Policy Trajectories: Mauritius

Abstract

Mauritius is a small island developing state (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean off the East coast of Africa. It has a plural
society entirely composed of the descendants of migrants from France, India, Africa, Madagascar and China. The
island gained independence from Britain on 12 March 1968 and became a republic on 12 March 1992.
Mauritius has been praised for its economic success, democracy and political stability. Since independence,
Mauritius has maintained a comprehensive welfare state where universal pensions as well as universal health and
education are provided free of charge to the people. The welfare state played a major role in attenuating potential
social and ethnic conflict in the country, given the plural society and divisions in the population. The welfare state
and social policies took care of the basic needs of all groups in the population, leading to a redistributive policy
with transformative effects on society and the economy. Despite being patriarchal and guided by a male
breadwinner ideology, the welfare state was highly beneficial to women and girls, especially in providing access to
health and education free of charge. The availability of state-subsidised welfare services contributed to the
eventual economic empowerment of women in the country. Moreover, the government of Mauritius ratified the
major international and regional conventions on human and women’s rights and gender equality. This led to the
removal of formal barriers to gender equality and paved the way for equal rights for men and women. However,
despite increased opportunities for women and girls and the transformative effects of social policies adopted in the
country, the paper argues that the policies did not lead to gender equity. Whereas gender equality is a reality,
gender equity is yet to be attained as women still struggle with a higher burden of domestic work, are fewer in the
labour market and predominate among the unemployed and poor.

Keywords: welfare state, social policy, gender equality, gender equity, redistribution, post-colonial development