ABSTRACT
A description of Malaysia's social structure and social life must include certain obvious features: basic data on population; ethnicity, including language and religion; social class; life in the countryside and the problem of rural poverty; urbanization; and changes in the towns. Beyond these, the most important are education, the mass media, interest groups, and the role of women. Malaysia's 1984 population was roughly 15 million. Apart from its economic implications, the importance of ethnicity in Malaysia is best appreciated by considering how the Malays' concern about their identity has been expressed in their attitudes and policies on language and religion. Life in a Malay village devoted to rice cultivation has often, almost longingly, been described by Western observers as rustic, romantic, and tranquil. In addition to the fact that a higher proportion of women than men are employed in subordinate positions, they are discriminated against by being paid less for equal work and in having less job security.
