The Impact of Consociationalism on Female Political Representation: The Case Study of Mauritius

Abstract

ABSTRACT By prioritising ethnic representation over gender representation, consociationalism is often criticised as being ‘gender blind’. This trend is very apparent in Mauritius’s consociational democracy as ethnicity is deeply entrenched in its different electoral practices ranging from the nominations of candidates, coalitions negotiations, the influence of religious organisations, the ethnicisation of the main political parties and voters’ perceptions. The focus on ethnic politics is so overwhelming that it side-tracks other important issues in the Mauritian political system like persistent inequalities in gender representation. This research relies on data from the Office of the Electoral Commissioner in Mauritius and Statistics Mauritius to analyse gender representation over the last 12 general elections. The findings show that the problem of low female political representation lies in a faulty institutional architecture designed to cater for ethnic representation without due regard to the problem of gender inequality. This problem is amplified by a serious lack of political will and consensus on an electoral reform that can correct this problem.