Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a matrilineal society. In addition to daily duties such as home and family maintenance, women have the right to own and inherit land. This places the Marshallese women at the center of the society. Despite this matrilineal establishment, women are less educated, more unemployed, and are compensated less for work than are men in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Teenage pregnancy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands is the highest among the other Pacific Islands and, according to the nongovernmental organization Women United Together in the Marshall Islands (WUTMI), 80 percent of Marshallese women have reported domestic abuse. Programs and services for such abuse and teenage pregnancy are limited in the country. WUTMI is a chartered, nonprofit ...