What Are The Factors Contributing To Gender Inequality In The Maldives?

Gender inequality has been recognized as a persisting issue in the Maldives that requires immediate attention for the country to prosper.Hence,the purpose of this research paper is to investigate the barriers that hinder gender equality in the Maldives.This research also aims to find out the public's experiences and perceptions in relation to gender(in)equality and to ascertain whether the existing laws,policies and other related efforts pertaining to gender equality are operating effectively or not.To this end,theoretical approach of feminism and qualitative research were employed.Primary data was collected through a questionnaire that was completed by 270 participants and semi-structured open-ended interviews which were conducted with 20 individuals.Secondary data was mainly collected from international conventions,official reports,academic journals,books and news articles.By linking these data with one another,this research identifies 5 factors that contribute to gender inequality in the local community.These are cultural,social,economic,psychological and institutional factors.The findings of this study further show that the current laws,policies and other efforts to ensure gender equality are not being implemented properly.These findings are expected to provide helpful insights into the issue to better understand the problem and how to successfully tackle it.In order to overcome these challenging factors,this research lastly brings forward some recommendations that can be adopted to eliminate gender inequality in the future.As such,it suggests to conduct awareness-raising activities within the public and the higher authorities,promote Islamic narrative on gender equality,ensure the implementation,monitoring and evaluation of existing policies and laws,introduce family-friendly employment policies,gendersensitize the school environment and provide support to victims accordingly.