The Republic of the Marshall Islands has an area of 1826 square kilometres and comprises 29 atolls and five major islands that form two parallel groups – the Ratak (sunrise) chain and the Rali (sunset) chain.  The Marshallese are of Micronesian origin. The matrilineal culture revolves around a complex system of clans and lineages tied to land ownership. The last census took place in 1999, and the next is scheduled for 2009.  Therefore, available demographic data are either from the 1999 census, or are estimates derived from it.

In the area of gender equality in primary and secondary education, the Marshall Islands is essentially on target to meet the MDG.  Gross primary and secondary enrolment rates indicate female-to-male enrolment ratios of roughly 50:50.  However, at both primary and secondary levels, female drop-out rates are higher than male, resulting in a higher proportion of males completing Grades 6, 8 and 12 than females.  General consensus suggests that the increasing drop-out rates for females versus males are due to the following:

• the rise in teenage pregnancy rates;
• sociocultural expectations requiring females to be at home to help their parents take care of younger children and other family members;
• the high mobility of parents and families between islands, resulting in students being unable to complete the school year (both male and female); and
• cultural and familial expectations of young women requiring them to assist in events such as funerals, resulting in many students missing school for lengthy periods of time, often more than once during the school year (Unable to catch up, many students will simply drop out of school.).

The Marshall Islands is fortunate not to have extreme poverty and hunger. However, current surveys and socioeconomic indicators suggest that poverty and hardship are on the rise.  This presents concerns as to whether the country has been developing, implementing and monitoring poverty reduction strategies and programmes appropriately.

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