Demographics of the Marshall Islands Islands and the University of the South Pacific. The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated. Demographics of the Marshall Islands This article is about the demographic features of the population of the Marshall Islands, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The people of the Marshall Islands are of Micronesian origin, which is traced to a combination of peoples who emigrated from Southeast Asia in the remote past. The matrilineal Marshallese culture revolves around a complex system of clans and lineages
Women in the Marshall Islands is matrilineal. This means that women are own "a great deal of power" because they predominate in making decisions "behind-the-scenes" even though men are seen as the "public performers". In the past, Marshall islander women who belong to the upper class are commonly distinguished by wearing "intricate tattoos", and were spoken to using "restricted speech genres" and "speaking styles". At present, modern-day women in the Marshall Islands may wear "American-style dress modified it to local norms" where the emerging elite may wear "costly dress and personal adornment". There are social welfare programs for women, particularly in urban areas, that had