Kiribati

Formerly the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati ended its history as a British protectorate in 1979. The islands, which include 33 separate Pacific coral atolls, are still largely agricultural, and 56 percent of the population live in rural areas, although the service industry (66.8 percent) provides the lion's share of Kiribati's Gross National Product. The per capita income is approximately $5,300, but the islands are heavily dependent on financial aid from the European Union, the United States, Australia, and other countries as well as on remittances from I-Kiribati (Kiribati citizens) who work abroad. Kiribati has long been a patriarchal society, with well-defined roles for women and men. In recent decades, the government has made a conscious effort to remove barriers that have historically limited women, and Kiribati ...