Wellbeing of Women in Mauritius: Investigating the role of sociodemographic characteristics on wellbeing.

P. Saddul, Dr F. Grant

​

My Biodata

• Ms. Poonam (Emma) Saddul
• Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
• University of Mauritius, Mauritius.
• +230 5 719 09 09/ +230 5 824 16 10
• emma.saddul@gmail.com

​

• Poonam Saddul is a PhD student at the University of Mauritius and a psychologist at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare. Her research focuses on the wellbeing of women in Mauritius and the role of sociodemographic and psychological factors on wellbeing.
• PhD Supervisor: Dr Fiona Grant

​

Introduction

• According to the 2020 World Happiness Report , Mauritius ranked 49th out of 153 countries with a score of 6.101 on a scale from 0 (worst score) to 10 (best score).

The World Happiness Report is produced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

​

• According to Statistics Mauritius, more women live in poverty than men.

http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/Gender_Stats_Yr18.aspx

• As such, they are more vulnerable to health issues related to lack of food and hygiene.

Introduction

• Women comprise 52% of the Mauritian population, their well-being is an outcome that is meaningful to the public.
• Moreover, several cross-sectional studies have found that having good well-being is closely related to better health, longevity, social connectedness, and increased productivity (Diener & Seligman, 2004).
• Psychological well-being (PWB) of women has been a subject of research for many researchers working in Gender Psychology.
• The concept of well-being refers to optimal psychological functioning and experience.

Figure 1: Adapted from Tokyo Institute of Technology

The Theory of Psychological Well-Being�

• Carol Ryff (1989) proposed her model of psychological well-being to capture all of the different elements in life that might play a role. Her model includes six key elements.
• Self-acceptance
• Personal Growth
• Purpose in Life
• Positive Relations with Others
• Environmental Mastery
• Autonomy

Figure 2: Adapted from Dunn’s Wheel of Wellness, Albrecht, N. (2014)

Sociodemographic variables and wellbeing

• Many studies have been conducted to assess the associations between sociodemographic factors (sex, age, marital status, education, and income) and wellbeing in adults.

​

• A significantly lower quality of life was observed in single women (unmarried women, women in separation, divorced or widowed) as compared with those in relationships (married or in informal relationships).

• Some studies showed a significant effect of age, on psychological well-being.
• Specifically, middle-aged adults scored significantly higher on Autonomy and Environmental Mastery, compared to young adults.
• Older adults scored significantly higher on Environmental Mastery than their younger counterparts, significantly lower on Purpose in Life than middle aged adults, and significantly lower on Personal Growth than their younger counterparts.

• Educational level was shown to have an impact on the level of wellbeing.
• There are two contradictory findings regarding the relationship between education and well-being.

- In Australia, people with a higher level of education are likely to have a higher level of well-being and life satisfaction.

​

- A study conducted to investigate the connection between education and happiness in Spain, found that individuals with higher levels of education have a greater probability of being employed in a well- paid job, leading to higher levels of happiness

​

• In contrast, several research papers have suggested a negative relationship between education and well-being.

​

- data obtained from a survey of 5,000 British workers, it was found that people with a higher level of education are less satisfied with their life than people with a lower level of education

​

- In another study, using an Australian data set, the education levels of the reference group were found to be negatively correlated with individuals’ subjective well-being

The Current Study

​

• While many have the well-being of women at heart, we, unfortunately, do not possess a valid quantitative and qualitative understanding of how sociodemographic and psychological factors like education, marital status, age, and perceived social support influence women’s ability to function positively.

​

• The proposed study will allow for the tailoring of interventions by various organizations to encourage women to adopt a healthier lifestyle to maintain wellness is all the dimensions.

​

• This research will capitalize on the current state of wellbeing among Mauritian female adults and to further determine how different sociodemographic and psychological factors such as age, education, marital status and perceived social support influence the individual scores on the subscales of perceived wellness and well-being of the participants.

​

• To investigate this idea, a study that measures the dimensions of wellbeing will be conducted.

Methodology

• The research design is a mixed-method approach, comprising both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Non-experimental in nature and will investigate the relationship between the wellbeing of Mauritian women and different socio-demographic variables and psychological variable..
• The use of a quantitative survey is preferred, to assess the variables as they naturally occur in the world.
• It is a correlational design with a sample of 400 women.

​

Procedure

​

• Participants will be randomly recruited from multiple sources in order to maximise within-group variability.
• Direct interviews followed by debriefings with the participants will be conducted and demographic variables (age, education level and marital status) will also be measured.
• Esyablished meaures with good psychometric properties will be used.

​

​

Expected Results

• There will be a significant negative correlation between age and wellbeing such that younger women (18 – 29 years) will tend to score higher on the dimensions of wellbeing. As age increases, perceived wellbeing will decrease.
• There will be a correlation between higher education levels and wellbeing, such that when education levels increase, perceived wellbeing will also increase.
• Women who are married will score higher on the dimensions of wellbeing compared to single or divorced women.
• Women who experience a higher perception of social support will score higher on the dimensions of wellbeing.

​

Conclusion

​

• The proposed project represents a major step towards an understanding of the wellbeing of women in Mauritius.
• It will offer new theoretical and empirical contributions that will allow stakeholders and community leaders to advocate and disseminate best practices with regards to the wellbeing of women in our country.
• On the foundation of the results, this research will allow recommendations for social agendas and campaigns aimed at the promotion of wellness and to make databases accessible to dynamic research panels.

​