Indicators of Social Change in the UAE: College Students’ Attitudes Toward Love, Marriage and Family

Abstract

Rapid economic development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has triggered innumerable changes in Emirati society. Changes occurring in the social institutions of marriage and family, which are central to Emirati society, reflect shifting attitudes toward traditional gender roles and gender relations that inform some of the essential norms and values in Emirati society. This paper draws on data from a survey of college students enrolled in the American University of Sharjah (a Western-style university in the UAE), focusing on their attitudes toward love, marriage, and family — including mate selection, polygamy, family size, and women’s participation in the workplace. Arab Emiratis were found to be more likely to conform to “traditional” norms than non-Arab Emiratis or Arab and Asian expatriates, although Arab Emirati women displayed more “modern” values than their male counterparts. This study explains shifting gender relations in Emirati society and will hopefully enable social scientists and policy makers to forecast future changes in the UAE.