page_title: Women in Tuvalu
section_title: Life expectancy
hierarchical_section_title: Women in Tuvalu / Life expectancy
caption_attribution_description: Tuvaluan Woman
context_page_description: Women in Tuvalu continue to maintain a traditional Polynesian culture within a predominantly Christian society. Tuvaluan cultural identity is sustained through an individual’s connection to their home island. In the traditional community system in Tuvalu, each family has its own task, or salanga, to perform for the community. The skills of a family are passed on from parents to children. The women of Tuvalu participate in the traditional music of Tuvalu and in the creation of the art of Tuvalu including using cowrie and other shells in traditional handicrafts. There are opportunities of further education and paid employment with non-government organisations and government enterprises, education and health agencies being the primary opportunities for Tuvaluan women.
  The number of women holding positions of Assistant Secretaries in government departments has increased from 20% in 2012 to nearly 50% in 2014. Also at the nine Island Kaupule the representation of women has increased from 1 in 2012 to 3 in 2014.
  With regard to the judiciary, "the first female Island Court magistrate was appointed to the Island Court in Nanumea in the 1980s and another in Nukulaelae in the early 1990s."
context_section_description: Life expectancy for Tuvaluan women is 68.41 years as compared to 64.01 years for males (2015 est.).
caption: Tuvaluan woman (2008)
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