Brunei Darussalam

The constitutional sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, which has been ruled over by the same family for six centuries, is located in southeast Asia along the South China Sea. After a period of regional influence between the 15th and 17th centuries, the country's status in the area declined in response to infighting, European imperialism, and piracy. Between 1888 and 1984, Brunei was a British protectorate. After achieving independence, Brunei continued to amass wealth from petroleum and natural gas deposits and from extensive overseas interests. By 2009, per capita income reached an estimated $50,100, making Brunei the ninth richest country in the world. Brunei ranks 30th among the United Nation's Development Programme's list of countries with very high human development.

Today, three-fourths of Bruneians live in urban areas. The majority ethnic group is Malay (66.3 percent), but 11.2 percent of Bruneians are Chinese. Brunei's official religion is Muslim (67 percent), but Buddhists (13 percent) and Christians (10 percent) are also represented. In the highly traditional society of Brunei where divorce is generally unacceptable, women have historically had few rights. Under Qur'anic law, they lack rights of inheritance and child custody. According to the country's Nationality Act, women are also denied rights of citizenship. Because Brunei is an absolute monarchy, neither males nor females have the right to vote except in village elections. While voting in village elections is required for males, it is optional for females. In the 21st century, many women continue to wear the tudong, the traditional Islamic head covering.

The median age for females is 27.8 years. Despite its wealth, Brunei ranks 144th in the world in infant mortality, with a rate of 12.27 deaths per 1,000 live births. Female infants (9.75) have a considerable advantage over male infants (14.68). This health advantage continues throughout life, and female life expectancy is 78.07 years as compared to 73.52 for males. Overall, Bruneian women have a fertility rate of 1.91 children per woman. The fertility rate of females aged 15 to 19 is approximately 28 percent. The country ranks 145th in the world in fertility. More than 99 percent of all births are attended by skilled health professionals.

Brunei ranks 59th in the world in educational expenditures. Although males and females have an equal school life expectancy of 14 years, female literacy rates are lower (90.2 percent) than those of males (95.2 percent). Despite this, the number of women pursuing higher education is steadily growing.

Bruneian women began to assert themselves in the late 20th century. In 1997, Princess Masna, the sister of the Sultan, became the second-ranking official in the Ministry of Affairs, and two other females were appointed to the Ministries of Education and Culture, Youth, and Sports. Between 1999 and 2005, 26 percent of legislators, senior officials, and managers and 44 percent of professional and technical workers were female. Although large numbers of women have entered the workforce, their salaries continue to lag far behind those of males. In 2005, for instance, estimated earned income for females was only $15,658 as compared to $37,506 for males. Many Bruneian women serve in noncombat positions in the military.

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