Marriage and Maldives Essay

Submitted By 16jilitz
Words: 419
Pages: 2

Located in the Indian Ocean, the Republic of Maldives is made up of approximately 1,190 tiny islands.A proud history and rich culture evolved from the first settlers who were from various parts of the world traveling the seas in ancient times. The Maldives has been a melting pot of different cultures as people from different parts of the world came here and settled down so, the Maldives is a pretty interesting place. Today I will inform you on the Maldives marriage and gender roles.
The legal age for marriage is eighteen, although half of the women marry by age fifteen. Marriages are not arranged.
In accordance with Islamic law, a man can have four wives at any time if he can support them financially. Sex before marriage is a punishable offense. Marriages can take place only between Muslims. Maldives has one of the highest divorce rates in the world; according to a 1977 census, nearly half of the women over the age of thirty had been married four times or more.

As a very masculine style culture – The father or the eldest male in the house is considered as the head of the family.
On local islands, men are engaged primarily in small-scale fishing, while women are responsible for child rearing and household duties such as cooking, cleaning, and collecting water. While these traditional gender roles are still the norm, many men now seek formal employment on resort islands or fishing boats, forcing them to be away from home for months at a time. On some islands, both a husband and wife may be employed, but the wife is still expected to fulfill her domestic roles.