The Gendered Face of the Mauritian Legislature

Abstract

This article aims to provide an overview of
the state of gender representivity in Mauritian
politics. The author argues that the Mauritian
legislature is plagued with issues of sociocultural
bias, at the expense of women's limited
participation in the nation's political arena.
Transformation of the legislature is required
in order to meet the needs and interests of
Mauritian women, but despite the increased
involvement of women in Mauritian politics
during the 2005 elections, the political arena
continues to be dominated by ethnicity and
caste. Moreover, the recent increase in the
number of women in the Mauritian legislature
does not guarantee the irreversibility of
gains made. The article concludes by stating
that gender-friendly electoral reforms are
a necessary but not suffi cient condition
for gender equitable power-sharing.

African Insight Vol. 36 (3&4) 2006: pp. 160-172