Parents are reluctant to let their daughters travel for education or work.

Photo by Yassin Hameed. Courtesy Portrait Gallery, Maldives

Microfinancing allows women to make a living.

Photo by Yassin Hameed. Courtesy Portrait Gallery, Maldives

The image of Islam among Western nations tends to be that of a restrictive religion that does not allow the most basic rights to women. In the Maldives, however, the form of the faith that is practiced is one of the most liberal among Islamic nations worldwide. Despite the overall appearance of emancipation, however, there are some gaps in the logic that says that Maldivian women lead unrestricted lives.

The burqa, or full-body veil, that women must wear in many Islamic countries is prohibited in the Maldives. Although men can have four wives, the custom is dying out because few can afford it. The government recently legislated to change divorce practice, equalizing it by making it easier for women to obtain divorces and harder for men. “There has been a lot of divorce in Maldives for a long time, says Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Security Raashida Yoosuf, “but it has nothing to do with women’s emancipation. If the husband says they are divorced, there is not much a woman can do. Now since the family law of 2000, the process of divorce is not as easy. Now both have to go to court and file a divorce.”

According to the World Bank, Maldivian women are amongst the most emancipated in South Asia and the Islamic world. There is no gender-based discrimination in access to education and health services. Thanks to concerted efforts and special programs by the government, school enrollment rates for girls are improving, and adult literacy rates have been equalized between men and women. Nevertheless, participation in the labor force stood at a 30-year low of 32 percent in the year 2000, a figure that activists are determined to change.

Getting parents to allow girls to travel from remote islands to attend secondary schools has traditionally been a problem, as has the perception that girls do not need schooling beyond marriageable age. Yoosuf claims that inroads are being made: “Parents are getting more relaxed about girls coming to Male’ and regional schools for secondary education. Slowly that gap between boys and girls in secondary education is getting narrower and narrower.”

Working for equality
Dunya Maumoon, National Programme Officer of the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) notes that women are most emancipated in terms of education and health, but they are still lagging behind in terms of economic and political empowerment, especially in terms of public life and decision-making positions.

She says Islam is not hostile to women’s empowerment. “There are very progressive interpretations within Islam,” she says. “A lot of women working in many Islamic countries have made progress in these issues. We need to make our policy-makers as well as the general public more aware of that.”

Abdulla Hameed, the Speaker of Parliament and Minister of Atolls Administration, says that one of the main achievements of President Gayoom is “the service he has done in creating gender equality and gender sensitization.” However, Dr. Fathim Hameed, a director of the Fisheries Ministry and the Speaker’s daughter, warns “there is a large gap between rhetoric and actual action.” She also identifies a basic problem with empowerment: men and male attitudes. “Empowerment is not being addressed enough. It is not women who have to be made aware or educated – targeting the male is also very important.”

From the house to the workplace
One important restriction on female participation in the workforce is marriage. In 1995 women married, on average, at 16.8 years old. Now, thanks to legislation, marriage under the age of 18 is illegal. However, the National Assessment Report defines cultural traditions and early marriage as key factors in restricting women’s pursuit of training and economic participation.

In order to encourage women’s economic involvement the government has provided incentives in the form of loan schemes. Atoll development projects, a government fund, and the Bank of Maldives’ development cell all offer funding to women wanting to start businesses, and a UN project is offering microfinancing to serve lower-income women’s needs.

In terms of the islands’ most profitable industry, tourism, cultural mores mean there is not an enabling environment for women to work in resorts. “It is the parents feeling protective that keeps the girls at home,” explains Yoosuf. “That is why girls have not participated in the increasing tourism labor force; because parents fear to expose them to foreign culture.”

Working for women’s health
Women’s health is, as in all developing countries, a barometer of the real extent of progress. According to the National Assessment Report, childbirth is still a leading cause of death for women, as are nutritional deficiencies. Under the leadership of First Lady Nasreena Ibrahim, the Society for Health Education (SHE), which has a liaison with the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the UN Fund for Population Activities, has played an important role in promoting women’s access to family planning and reproductive health services.

“Reproductive health is a big concern,” says Dr. Naila Firdous, a founder member of SHE. “When we started traveling to the islands we realize how helpless the women were. They wanted family planning methods. 13 or 14 years ago there were no doctors in the islands, even in the atolls, only a health worker will be providing health services.”

Dr. Naila says that the group still had to counter some prejudices. “Family planning here is very important given the growth of population in the last years, but when we arrived (we were the first family planning clinic here), family planning were not very acceptable words.”

Fostering political participation
Yoosuf counts legal awareness among the government’s most important policies involving women. “It is important because a lot of women are not aware of their rights,” she says. “Five years ago we started legal and political awareness and gender sensitization on a large scale, and we have covered all the regions of the country. The aim of that program is create awareness about the importance to have women holding leadership positions, key decision-making positions.”

According to the National Assessment Report, the 1999 election included more women contesting seats than ever before. Yet Yoosuf admits that although women can be helped to contest elections, “winning is a different story.”

Women are doing better in local government: in 2000 women entered atoll government for the first time, and in 2001 the first female atoll chief was appointed.

However the most important job in the Maldives – that of President – is still officially off limits to women. A clause prohibiting a female head of state remained in the new constitution, although the President says he was against its continuance. “At the moment a woman as head of state is not possible,” Gayoom states. “Of course there are people who question that, and in time it will change.”

Attorney General Mohamed Munavvar says the origin of the clause lies in religious requirements: “The arguments were that in a Muslim country, the head of state is also the religious leader.” He thinks that a constitutional amendment will not be long in coming.

Yoosuf calls the clause conventional thinking. “The argument given to people is religion, but I don’t see it that way,” she continues, pointing out that other countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia have women as prime ministers.

“Islam is a very progressive religion, it suits every stage of development,” concludes Yoosuf. “I think our religion has given allowance for women to develop intellectually. They can go as far as they like, as far as men, there is no hindrance.” If this is true, then all that is holding women back is male attitudes and tradition. When the barriers they impose – which are stronger than legislation or funding can easily counter – can be overcome, Maldivian women can take their place as equal participants in both society and the workforce.