Women have always had an important role in the family and community. In the early history of Maldives, it was not uncommon to have a woman as a Sultana or ruler and it has been suggested that the society was once a matriarchy.
       In today’s society women hold strong positions in government and business. A large percentage of government employees are women. The male female ratio of enrolment and completion of education to secondary school standards remains equivalent. Women serve in the cabinet and the Parliament.

       The language of the Maldivians is Dhivehi, a language, which is placed in the Indo-Iranian group of languages. Dhivehi with its roots in Sanskrit and according to some researchers Elu, an ancient form of Sinhala, (spoken in Sri Lanka), is strongly influenced by the major languages of the region. The language has been influenced heavily from Arabic since the advent of Islam in 1153 and English in more recent time, especially since introduction of English as a medium of education in the early 1960s.
      Given the wide dispersion of islands, it is not surprising that the vocabulary and pronunciation vary from atoll to atoll, with the difference being more significant in the dialects spoken in the southernmost atolls.
      The Maldivian script known as thaana was invented during the 16th century soon after the country was liberated from Protuguese rule. Unlike former scripts, thaana is written from right to left. This was devised to accommodate Arabic words that are frequently used in Dhivehi. There are 24 letters in the thaana alphabet.

       Since Maldives embraced Islam in 1153, Islam has been central to the life of Maldives. The main events and festivals of Maldivian lives follow the Muslim calendar. From infancy children are taught the Arabic alphabet. Religious education is provided both at home and at school. Islam is part of the school curriculum and is taught concurrently with other subjects.