The Marriage Roles in Qatar

The Marriage Roles in Qatar

The marriage role in the Arab nations has, over the recent past, come under sharp criticism and scrutiny. The unsuccessful attempt to escape by the prince of Dubai and the escape by the queen later this year has drawn attention to the Arab world. With Qatar hosting the next world cup, its practices have been under the keen watch of the international community. As the proponent and opponents of the typical Arab marriage take hardline stands, there is a need to examine the whole issue objectively. In this document, the marriage role in Qatar is deeply examined objectively with dissenting unpopular opinion taken into consideration.

The role theory is one element that is in support of the marriage practices in Qatar. The society in Qatar is predominantly patrician, with the men accorded the center stage in the family ole. As the men strive to provide for the family, the women take the role of caring wife and mother (Parsons & Bales, 1955). This slowly changing with modern women in the Arab nations, including Qatar getting an advanced education. A study of the population in Qatar is an interesting one indication that there has been an increase in education acquisition on both genders from 1950 hence force. The disturbing section of the statistics points that while the women graduates have been increasing, the male counterparts graduating has been on the decline (Ottson, 2014). Traditionally highest roles in the society were reserved for men. With the change, there is a possibility of a significant shift. There is a possibility of the modern women being more qualified, more successful, employed while the partner is unemployed, being wealthier, and also being accorded higher positions. These predispositions place the Arab men and women on a collision course.

The culture around marriage has also experienced a shift from what it used to be traditionally. In the traditional setting, marriage between cousins and other relatives were allowed to strengthen family ties. Although changing, the entire wedding gets arranged by the mother and the sisters. The family has an influence on marriage partners today basing on tribal affiliations, religion, social, status, and financial status.  Studies indicate that family compatibility worries are one of the keeping propulsive force behind arranged marriages (Le Renard, 2014). Apart from the family, there are several other factors the Qatari woman considers when accepting or rejecting a marriage proposal. Noof is one such woman who turned down a marriage proposal because the potential husband could not allow her to work or complete her education (Sex Roles, 2017). As noted, the need to gain education and works is a means to prove personal work to self to others. To many, learning and working are perceived as being credible to independence and a secure future. As more women get educated, employed, and empowered, the trend is going to gain more pace. One wonders what the future holds for Arab nations like Qatar when a large population of the women chooses independence over marriage. Only time will tell. There is a need to review and fix flaws in the traditional marriage model to ensure the success of both men and women, considering families are the basic organizational units in Qatar.

Often and Berntsen, in their work, seem to be in indirect agreement with how fundamental the role-play theory is. In their context, they examine the impact of segregating the two sexes with a specific interest in Qatar. The research indicated that the segregation of men and women from school and work results in two distinct subcultures that may be conflicting (Ottsena and Berntsen, 2014). The above means that men and women might be cultures separately to assume conflicting roles. After marriage, there might be a need for recognition and realignment of characters as Berger and Kellner conceptualize in their work (1964). In Qatar society, divorce frowned upon, and it is the role of a traditional good woman to stay in a marriage with the husband. As modern women continue to view marriage in a different light different from that of t protection, divorce will soon be normalized. One notes segregation to being a counterproductive measure to preserve the women for marriage. The definition of a good woman in the modern era is also changing. The women seek to exceed the boundaries of being defined by children, husbands, and family but instead explores education and employment (Sex Roles, 2017).

The segregate measure should get demonized entirely. Bryant takes note of Qatar’s population, indicating that the ration of men to women is 7:1. In a county with that population, there is a need for segregation to ensure women get protected from unwanted attention. The author cites the example of female-only events to ensure their comfort. Ottsen & Berntsen also join in the narrative offering an example as events and prayers that only men are involved. While some activists view this as segregation against women, proponents have argued of it being a protective measure to ensure the women’s population is protected. In the wake of modern education and will to travel outside Qatar, segregation has become a complicated affair to manage despite it being practice in mosques across the world.

Social and Economic Survey Research Institute study indicated that two out of three Qatari women either get married late or never marry at all (2011). The above is an alarming statistic. The same study pointed out these trends to improved education and involvement in the work environment. Primarily in the traditions, the woman was a caregiver. As society is changing and the role of women is shifting, there is a need to empower the men to shun away from toxic masculinity and allow women to take work positions after acquitting education. The age between married couples has also reduced to two or three years. This reduction is pivotal and shapes the conversation around the role allocation among couples in homes as supported by the role theory. Education is a formidable tool that will ensure men also cope with the role changes in Qatari society. While total submission was the traditional role of women in society, independence has gained popularity. Thus over time, an occasion to a rise in divorce though not significantly. By 2009 nineteen out of every one thousand marriages in Qatar ended up in divorce (SESRI, 2011). Marriage counseling and increasing divorcee’s support are some of the measures embarked by the government to minimize divorce among young couples.

It is important also to examine the role of men in marriage settings. In the role theory, men get perceived as providers to the family. In most Qatar families, this has maintained. In some instances, the women are more successful than the men ending up to be primary providers for the family. In many cases, this places the women in a collision course in resulting in them editing their goals and preference (Komter, 1989). Such editing scenarios are unattractive for some women causing then to choose to stay single or significantly delay their marriage. The typical definition of the roles of a woman in the Qatari society seems to be limiting in the career and educational front. Men need to understand the importance of women pursuing education and careers. As opposed to it perceived as a point of weakness in the men, it should be looked at as, according to women, the freedom to prove themselves to society. They are changing the mentality of the men towards education and promises rejuvenating to Qatari’s family culture.

Just as the world has transformed, modern Arab women have also changed. Society needs to be aware of these changes. Embracing the changes sets a platform for the family unit to thrive, and the modern woman to pursue her personal and career goals. Islam plays an essential role in the institutionalization of the change since it is the main religion in Qatar.