Women in Seychelles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Women in Seychelles hold the same legal, political, economic, and social rights as men.[3]
A woman in the Seychelles and her fishtrap, during the early part of the 1970s. | |
| General statistics | |
|---|---|
| Women in parliament | 22.86% (2020)[1] |
| Women in labour force | 64.29% (2020)[2] |
Family life
Seychellois society is essentially matriarchal, which stems from the 'matrifocal' nature created through slavery.[3][4][5] Mothers tend to be dominant in the household, controlling most current expenditures and looking after the interests of the children.[3] Many couples remain unwed because the cultural standards for weddings require luxury and are extremely expensive.[6] There is not much social stigma around remaining unwed, patricularly in low-income communities.[6] Unwed mothers are the societal norm, and the law requires fathers to support their children.[4] Men are important for their earning ability, but their domestic role is relatively peripheral.[3] Women over 50 are considered elderly and are largely excluded from the labour market, leaving them with poor social standings.[7] Elderly women must usually count on financial support from family members living at home or contributions from the earnings of grown children.[3]
'Matrifocality' in Seychelles:
Seychelles is largely considered to be a 'matrifocal' society, meaning that the central kinship lines, source of income, and relational contacts are traced through the mother's ancestry rather than the father's.[5] It does not mirror patriarchal societies social hierarchies as women are not necessarily in better social positions than men.[5] This dynamic is rooted in the socio-historical context of colonialism and slavery in Seychelles, which did not encourage marriage or family life, but required reproduction to sustain itself.[5] Enslaved men were taken by their masters to habituate other colonies, leaving women behind to maintain the family and community.[5] This process is what created the matrifocal social structure that persists in Seychelles today. [5]
Violence against women:
Domestic violence against women was a continuing problem.[4] Police rarely intervened in domestic disputes unless it involved a weapon or major assault.[4] The authorities often dismissed the few cases that reached a prosecutor, or the court gave the perpetrator a light sentence.[4] There was growing societal concern about domestic violence and increased recognition of the need to address it.[4] In 2013 the Minister for Social Affairs, Vincent Meriton, helped develop a plan of action with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to tackle gender-based violence through revised police training, awareness-raising, and a legal focus on prosecuting sex-trafficking and organized crime.[7]
Rape, spousal rape, and domestic abuse are criminal offences punishable by a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment.[4]The law prohibits sexual harassment but is rarely enforced.[4] During 2007, the Family Tribunal registered 74 domestic violence complaints.[4] The police registered 56 rape cases and four cases of attempted sexual assault.[4] The Social Affairs Division of the Ministry of Health and Social Development and Women in Action and Solidarity Organization, a local NGO, provided counseling services to rape victims.[4]
Wider society
Seychelles is a very young population, with a relatively low average birth and death rates.[6] Both women and men have significantly higher life expectancies compared to global averages. [6] Inheritance laws do not discriminate against women.[4]
There is no officially sanctioned gender discrimination in employment and women are well represented in business.[4]
Prostitution is illegal but remains prevalent.[4] Police generally do not apprehend prostitutes unless their actions involved other crimes.[4]
Women's Education in Seychelles:
Seychelles has equally high literacy rates across gender lines.[6]There is equal access to primary education for boys and girls, and the education standards continually improve.[6]
Seychelles' Ministry of Education launched the #AfricaEducatesHer campaign in October 2024, targeting issues like school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, and mental health.[8] The #AfricaEducatesHer campaign has been similarly launched in 14 African Union member states, with different programs for their nations' needs.[8] Seychelles was recognized for being one of the most successful countries in implementing the campaign.[8]
As of 1994, women formed nearly half of the enrollment at the prestigious Seychelles Polytechnic, the formerly highest level of education on the islands.[3] The University of Seychelles, the country's first university, opened in 2009.[6]
In 2022, women led research on the native seagrass in the coasts of Seychelles to support the government's commitment to make sure all seagrass meadows are protected by 2030.[9] These scientists and students are researching the carbon in seagrass to find nature-based solutions to climate change.[9]
Women in Sports and Recreation:
Judoka Amandah Payet was recognized as the Seychelles Sportswoman of the year for 2025 by the National Sports Council.[10] Payet is a weightlifter who won a silver medal at the African Senior Judo Championship in Mauritius in 2025, and a gold medal at the TiSey 2025 international judo tournament.[10]
Chris Yip-Au, a woman from Singapore, is working on building a presence for women's football in Seychelles as the new head coach of the women's national team for the Seychelles Football Federation.[11] In 2025, Emy Casaletti-Bwalya organized the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Seychelles, which was the first FIFA tournament to have ever taken place in Africa. [12]
The Seychelles Women's Volleyball Team won gold at the Indian Ocean Island Games for four consecutive years from 2020-2023.[13] Women's volleyball was the only team sport that produced a gold metal for Seychelles at the games.[13]
In 2023, in honor of World Ocean Day (June 8), an all-female crew embarked on an 18-day sail around the Seychelles' islands of Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue in a catamaran under a female captain.[14] These women responded to the fact that there were no female sailing instructors in the islands and wanted to empower women to get involved in sailing leadership.[14] The sail was meant to show the strength and capability of Seychelles' women at sea, while also sparking a dialogue about marine preservation.[14] Most of the women had marine-related profession and used media coverage of the sail to raise awareness of conservation efforts.[14]
Women in Seychelles Governance
As of 2007, there were 10 women in the 34-seat National Assembly, seven elected by direct election and three by proportional representation.[4] Following the July 2007 cabinet reshuffle, there were two women in the cabinet.[4]As of 2013, Seychelles held the fifth highest proportion of women in a national parliament in the world, making a substantial jump in equal gender representation in governance.[7] Most of the population supports and advocates for gender equality in government representation, but over 60% of the population believes that women in political office face backlash for becoming public representatives.[15] As of 2023, over half of the population believes that there is still much work to be done on promoting gender equality in the government. [15]
Notable Women in Seychelles Governance:
- Jutta Alexis[17] - In 2026, Alexis was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles Investment Board (SIB).[17] Alexis ran the Ministry of Education from 2021-2024[17]
- Caroline Abel [16] - In 2012, Abel became the first woman to be appointed Governor of the Central Bank and was awarded Central Bank Governor of the Year Award in 2020. [16][18] She was also celebrated at the Africa's Woman Leaders Awards in 2020.[16]
- Angela Servina[16] - After over 11 years serving the Town & Country Planning Authority, Servina became the first woman to be appointed chief executive of the Seychelles Town & Country Planning Authority.[16]
- Astride Tamatave[18] - On March 11, 2024, Tamatave was appointed principal secretary for finance.[18]
- Varsha Singh[18] - Singh was appointed commissioner general of the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC) in 2024.[18]
- Li Fa Cheung Kai Suet[18] - After 10 years serving as chief executive of the National Statistics Agency in Mauritius, she was appointed as the Seychelles chief executive of the National Bureau of Statistics. [18]
