Mozambique

The former Portuguese colony of Mozambique gained independence in 1975, had a population of 21.4 million in 2007, and a female life expectancy of 40.1, one of the lowest in the world.

The country has a birth rate of 35.2 per 1,000 population, and an infant mortality rate of 129.2 per 1,000 live births, one of the highest in the world. The maternal mortality rate at 1 per 100 births is also one of the highest in the world. Abortion is legal only to save the woman's life or preserve her mental or physical health, and only up to 12 weeks gestation for preserving life and health. A 2008 study found that the 12-week rule tended to exclude women who were younger, poorer, and had lower levels of education, and a 2000 study found that 9 percent of maternal deaths were due to septic abortion.

Another reason for the very high mortality rates, both of infants and of mothers, has been because of the poor medical infrastructure in the country. During the long period of Portuguese colonial rule, which ended in 1975, there were few modern health services provided outside Lourenco Marques (now Maputo), Beira, and the other large cities—and even those were reserved for the local elite and Europeans.

The war before independence continued through 1992, which brought about the destruction of much of the infrastructure of the country, including most of the regional hospitals and clinics. There has been some attempt to rebuild them since the end of fighting; but because of the many social problems, lengthy dislocation of society, and prevalence of tropical diseases, have not met with much success.

With the destruction of the traditional, rural village-based societies has been the breakup of kinship and familial groups that had helped with mothering children over centuries. The International Monetary Fund has provided some structural adjustment programs to help improve the life of women in Mozambique, and the ruling FRELIMO Party from 1975 worked actively with the Organizaçâo da Mulher Moçambicana (Mozambique Women's Organization: OMM). Although there are more girls at school than there were at independence, in [Page 875]most secondary schools there are twice as many boys as girls.

In 2006, 77.8 percent of females age 15 and older in Mozambique were employed. Paid maternity leave is provided at 100 percent of wages for 60 days. Save the Children ranked Mozambique 7th on the Mothers' Index, 6th on the Women's Index, and 17th on the Children's Index among 33 Tier III or least developed countries.

In terms of female role models in the country, the runner Lurdes Mutola, an Olympic gold medal winner, helped inspire many women. Graça Simbinen Machel, the widow of former president Samora Machel, with whom she had two children, is now the wife of South Africa's Nelson Mandela. Graça Simbinen Machel was brought up by her mother after her father, a Methodist preacher who worked in the gold mines in South Africa, died only 20 days after her birth.