When it comes to divorce rates, the UAE is high on the list. This has led to many people questioning if parents choosing their children’s partners is a successful method or not.
The government has tried endlessly to ensure that a marital union is a lifetime commitment. Despite their efforts, rates of divorce are increasing rapidly in the UAE. People from the Emirates are believed to go through a divorce more than any other nationality in the Arab world.
According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, divorce rates increased by 6.6% in Dubai last year. Couple separation has been the center of many conversations broadcasted on the radio lately. Many on-air radio show presenters have sought to help mend family crisis through dialogue.
Perhaps the most popular radio show in the UAE is ‘How to deal with marital problems’. The station particularly focuses on young couples and spreading awareness of how to work at a relationship, rather than walking away.
Also, the government has created a program focused on family counseling. The program has been designed to tackle the rapid growth of divorce rates. The government has also launched a Marriage Fund, which is supposed to encourage ‘family life.’ The Marriage Fund organization recently carried out a field study to investigate the trend of divorce among young married couples.
Findings revealed that around half of women divorcees give their husband as the reason for the marital breakdown. Around 70% of men said that their former wives were the reason.
The emerging pattern that divorcees blame their former partners for the separation had led several groups, including the Marriage Fund to suggest that a lack of dialogue is actually to blame for many failed marriages in the UAE.
The result also revealed that a high rate of Emirati males chooses to enter a marriage with a foreigner. Given this, difficulties with understanding, communication, and culture clashes are all contributing factors towards separation. Unsurprisingly around half of marriages involving Emirati and non-Emirati individuals end in divorce.
The department of family development has even opened a hotline on behalf of the government for couples who want to talk about domestic issues. However, a lot of Emiratis argue that reconciliation isn’t the problem. The issue is that they were paired with the wrong person in the first place.
An Emirati subject who has recently ended his marriage, claims that high rates of separation in the UAE are because of the traditional mode of the union in the country, i.e. Arrange marriages. He explained how divorces usually happen because couples have a lack of common interests. This is mainly because the mother of the family chooses what they consider ‘a suitable partner.’ According to the subject, an arranged marriage is where the problem first begins.
Many people now believe that the decisions that lead up to a marriage are a crucial factor in whether the couple will go on to enjoy a long and happy life together. Therefore, the government may need to change their approach by focusing on aiding couples to make the right decision before getting married instead of focusing on reconciling those already married.