Martial relationship having problems before and after getting married Essay

Martial relationship having problems before and after getting married in the United Arab Emirates, what are these problems and h - Essay Example Their traditional cultural and religious practices often clash with their contemporary thinking, as it still influences their personalities. This creates confusion and chaos in their marital relationships. Finding solutions to end marital problems in UAE requires counselling, educating and creating awareness about the responsibilities of marriage among the youth of Emirates. In the traditional patriarchal society of UAE, women are expected to be obedient, domesticated, and willing to attend to the needs of everyone in the family. In a marital relationship, she is particularly responsible to take care of: physical, sexual, emotional and domestic needs of her husband; children; and in-laws. Carrying out domestic or household chores is the sole responsibility of the womenfolk. Men are the traditional bread earners of the family, and therefore their decisions cannot be challenged by their wives. While this traditional patriarchal system has survived through ages, the 21st century woman i s breaking this concept. â€Å"Emirati women in 2010 were ranked number one in terms of gender equality among the whole Arab world and our ranking internationally was 103. This is a big leap,† said Shamsa Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of the DWE. (Chowdhury, 2011 April 02, Khaleej Times Online ) The society of UAE is mostly governed by Islamic laws, also called sharia and family laws pertaining to marriage and divorce are handled accordingly. Muslim men are allowed to have four wives at the same time and they can even marry non-Muslim women. However, they have to bear the financial expenditures of all their wives and children. They are the ‘providers’ of their wives and children and in return their wives are supposed to be absolutely chaste, obedient, and available to satisfy their sexual and domestic needs. United Arab Emirates is one of the advanced countries in the entire gulf region. Exposure to foreign lifestyle due to tourism, foreign media, multinational organizations with its multinational work force and education has gradually changed the social system of Emirates. The youth has responded well to the social changes and they find it implausible to fit the traditional practices in their modern and contemporary lifestyles. The most adverse affect of the clash of civilizations has been on marital relationships. An increase in the divorce rate has been recorded in UAE during the past few decades. â€Å"According to latest available statistics, the UAE leads GCC states in divorce rates, which hit 36 per cent, reported 'Emarat Al Youm'†. (Emirates 24/7, March 04, 2011) Many reasons have been cited for this, among which infidelity, patriarchal system, dowry, inability to understand each other’s personal, emotional, physical and financial needs are prominent. A divorce not only shatters a family but creates social instability as well. 2. Premarital problems: Marriages in the traditional UAE society are arranged by elders or p arents of the bride and groom. Family or cousin marriages are usually preferred as social status is considered as an important aspect of marriage. Financial aspects might become a cause of pre-marital problems as the girl’s family has to arrange for dowry and the overall wedding expenses can go really high. This puts undue strain on the budgets of both the families and might create discord between the married couple. According to Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State and Head of the State Marriage Fund,