An education similar to the metropolis
In just fifty years, Réunion has caught up with metropolitan France in terms of educational provision: today, there are around a hundred public secondary schools, compared with just one in 1960. School curricula are the same, with only the school calendar adjusted to take account of the inversion of the seasons. The July-August vacations are shorter on Réunion, while the December vacations are extended to January, which corresponds to the local summer. Some schools offer "Creole language" options and activities centered on Réunionese culture (maloya dance and music, moringue, etc.), and history courses incorporate local history. As far as higher education is concerned, the island has two campuses, the main one in Saint-Denis and a secondary one in Le Tampon, but the offer is less extensive than in the French regions, and most young people leave the territory after the bachelor's degree or for specific courses. Although students' departure for mainland France or abroad is often an emotionally difficult step, it is financially encouraged by numerous regional grants. On the other hand, Réunion's universities receive many foreign students, not only Europeans under the Erasmus program, but also many students from the Indian Ocean.
The family at the heart of social life
On Reunion Island, the family plays a much more important role than in mainland France. Weekends are often reserved for family picnics, when parents and children, as well as uncles, aunts, grandparents and godparents, come together. One of the consequences of this attachment, often reinforced by economic imperatives, is that children stay longer with their parents, on average up to the age of 30. Their departure generally corresponds to a move to mainland France, or a move in with their spouse, and very few young people here experience the stage of living alone in student accommodation. Many couples also move into the same house as their grandparents to look after them. As a result, many more grandparents continue to live in their cottages rather than attend Ehpad. Paradoxically, blended families are very common on the island, which is sometimes referred to as the "island of disunity". As the age of the first child is much earlier than in mainland France, it is not uncommon to see siblings from two or three different strata.
The woman in power
Integrated into working and social life, the position of women on Reunion Island differs little from that of women in mainland France. The average salary of a woman on the island is 92% of that of a man, compared with just 75% in mainland France. This does not mean, however, that this is due to a more pronounced quest for equality: most salaries are simply at the level of the SMIC, which is identical for men and women. It should be noted, however, that in certain rural or religious environments, women are more often confined to the home. Throughout history, many women have distinguished themselves for their economic power, such as Mme Desbassayns, or their role in political life, such as Nassimah Dindar, the first woman president of the departmental council in 2004 and a senator since 2017, or Ericka Bareigts, former Minister for Overseas Territories, then deputy of Réunion and current mayor of Saint-Denis. At municipal level, however, attitudes are progressing more slowly, with only one woman mayor out of the island's twenty-four communes in 2014 (La Possession). At the last municipal elections in 2020, four women were elected (La Possession, Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul and Saint-Louis), two of them to head the island's largest towns. Slow but sure progress towards parity.
Homosexuality and tolerance
In a region heavily influenced by religion, homosexuality is still a taboo subject in many families, and the weight of insular lafi lafé (gossip) can be very heavy. Fortunately, new generations are gradually opening their minds, and associations are stepping up their efforts to raise awareness and support people in need. On the tourism front, a Gay Friendly & Family charter has been created, guaranteeing signatories' customers and employees total tolerance and open-mindedness, avoiding any discriminatory acts or attitudes, as well as any communitarian spirit. Among the sixty or so signatories, hotel establishments are joined by restaurants, mini-markets, wellness salons and even... accountants. Some of them display the G2F sign at the entrance to their premises, but for a list of these establishments, visit the website: www.gayfriendly.re.
A high-performance health system
Tourists and new arrivals can travel to Reunion in complete safety, and the local healthcare system is second to none. When it comes to healthcare, Réunion started out with a major handicap: its remoteness. It has turned this into an asset, as it has encouraged the development of medical specialties to avoid repatriation to mainland France. As a result, life expectancy has risen by twenty-five years over the last fifty years, almost catching up with that of mainland France. Today, the island boasts four hospital groups and twelve private clinics, offering cutting-edge specialties such as neurosurgery, cardio-surgery and burn treatment. La Réunion is even equipped with one of France's five cyclotrons, a particle gas pedal used to detect cancer. The island is now a leader in the Indian Ocean, and regularly welcomes medical evacuations from its poorly-equipped neighbor Mayotte, as was the case during the Covid-19 crisis at the start of 2020. As for the health and pension systems, they are exactly the same as in mainland France, so you'll enjoy the same rights when working or traveling here. You'll also have no difficulty in obtaining medication during your stay: pharmacies are plentiful and will accept your Carte Vitale as they do everywhere else in France.
