Amna Puri-Mirza
Research Expert covering the Middle East
Family and marriage in the Middle East - statistics & facts
The definition of the family often derives from the understanding of kinship between a group of people through either birth, marriage, or adoption. In the most common sense, a family is described as the nuclear unit of parents and their direct children who live in one household. The term family in Arabic is most commonly translated as “aeyla” and is often used for a much broader group of people in Middle Eastern culture. At the same time, family units are considered very tight-knit in that region.
The Middle East is a Muslim-majority region, with many entering a marriage according to Islamic traditions through the signature of a marriage contract. The marriage contract records the marriage conditions from both parties and the value of the dowry paid from the groom to the bride. The dissolution of a marriage is also regulated through stipulations of Shariah law in the majority of the Middle East.
Qatar has the lowest marriage rate worldwide, although marriage is an important part of life in the Middle Eastern region. At the same time, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were among the countries with the lowest divorce rates worldwide.
As women worldwide question their role as mothers and wives within the family unit, Middle Eastern women are also involved in the conversation. In particular, whether men should have the final say in all decisions concerning the family is a polarizing question across the region.
Marriages in the Middle East
Although arranged marriages in the Middle East region used to be quite common and made up the majority of nuptials, the number is decreasing slowly, as it is in the rest of Asia. Through urbanization, increased education, and access to the labor market for women, it is also becoming more normalized in the Middle East not solely to rely on their family to arrange for a spouse. While the term ‘arranged marriage’ is often misinterpreted as ‘forced marriage,’ arranged marriages are typically entered voluntarily and after being introduced to each other. According to a study, only four percent of victims of forced marriages are from Arab states.Qatar has the lowest marriage rate worldwide, although marriage is an important part of life in the Middle Eastern region. At the same time, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were among the countries with the lowest divorce rates worldwide.
Family in the Middle East
Although having a large family with many children has been seen as a cultural norm in the Middle East, fertility rates in the Middle East and North Africa are also decreasing. The average fertility rate in the MENA region is currently at 2.77 births per woman, with 3.7 births per woman in Yemen and 1.38 in the UAE.As women worldwide question their role as mothers and wives within the family unit, Middle Eastern women are also involved in the conversation. In particular, whether men should have the final say in all decisions concerning the family is a polarizing question across the region.
