Sample Solution

The major cause of difference that arises between the two countries that has lead to them levelling at different stages of demographic transition lies in the fact that Madagascar is plagued by political crisis and instability. Education, particularly of women, is certainly one of the most important factors that affected fertility behaviour and contributed to controlling population growth in Mauritius. About 80 per cent of the population are educated; 75 per cent of women in Mauritius are literate. Education in Mauritius through to university is free, with primary education compulsory. Employment along with education, contributed to higher living standards of the population where the vast majority of people bene ted from employment. It is difficult to attain this in Madagascar due to political disarray. It is well known that the success of Mauritian population management has been largely attributed to the Government’s concern and deep commitment to reducing the rate of population growth, through supportive and extensive health care services, family planning programmes, promotion of basic education, particularly among women, and social welfare schemes. The Government in the case of Madagascar has been constantly changing and there are deep -rooted structural problems. The rate of contraceptive use in Mauritius could be compared to that in Europe and North America whereas in Madagascar, contraceptives have just recently become a free commodity for women. Thus, it is evident that Madagascar still has a long way to go and needs to restructure its economy.

CONCLUSION

Madagascar is in the third stage of the demographic transition model and is facing several obstacles in transitioning to the next stage. The biggest challenge faced by Madagascar, as emphasised in the previous sections, is political stability. Madagascar needs to restructure its economy and in order to do this it needs a strong and stable government in place. Employment creation is another milestone that needs urgent attention in Madagascar. The level of education and female labour force participation ar