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Costly weddings drive Emiratis to expat brides

Abu Dhabi - FNC voices concern over rise in divorces in UAE.

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Expensive weddings are causing Emirati men to turn to expats for marriage "because marrying an expat costs less," heard the Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday. 
The council raised their concerns to the Minister of Community Development, Hessa Buhumaid, over high wedding costs in the UAE, with some members claiming that expensive weddings are one of the leading reasons of staggering divorce rates.
FNC member Naema Al Sharhan pointed out that heavy financial burdens are causing couples to divorce, some within just the first month of their marriage.
"One Emirati man said to me: Why should I go into financial troubles and debts? It is better if I just marry a foreign woman and save myself from debt," Al Sharhan said.
She explained that many young married couples today do not have enough awareness about "what marriage stands for" and are thus quickly and easily opting for the option of divorce, when facing financial struggles or even struggles of adaptation to marriage life.
"These couples don't understand how impactful divorce can be, and some couples are even divorcing within one week or one month of marriage.
"The issue of marriage is crucial. We need to understand why do these couples turn to divorce."
Al Sharhan also pointed out that costly weddings are not only leading Emiratis to "turn to foreigner women for marriage," but it is also causing a rise in late marriages, which is a great concern for women in particular.
"Many couples marry late because of the heavy cost of weddings. So what is happening here is Emirati men are marrying expats, because it costs them a lot less.

Divorce rates on the rise

The council also released figures of staggering divorce rates in the UAE between the years 2006 and 2016.
The figures revealed that marriage between Emirati men and Emirati women in the years 2006-2016 reached a total 78,631, however, a whopping 25 per cent of the same couples ended in divorce (19,660).
It was also revealed that 20,617 Emirati men married foreign women during this period, of which 7,630 got divorced - a total of 37 per cent.
Moreover, the council noted that 8,516 Emirati women married non-Emirati men, and 2,284 of those marriages ended in divorce (27 per cent). During this period, there were a total of 107,764 marriages in the UAE, in which 29,574 ended in divorce (27 per cent), said the council.
The report also indicated that divorce rates in the UAE increased by 32.5 per cent in 2016. Figures highlighted that 30 per cent of the people married in 2016 in Abu Dhabi got divorced, whereas 29 per cent of couples who married in Dubai ended their relation. The divorce rate is 35 per cent in Ras Al Khaimah and 28 per cent in Umm Al Quwain. "We are talking about a real issue here, because this large number of divorces can reflect negatively on our society," said FNC member Hamad Al Rahoomi.
"What is the reason for more than 19,000 Emiratis to divorce in these years?" he asked.
The council members said they are concerned over the high levels of divorce rates in the UAE and have urged the ministry to issue programmes for Emiratis to raise awareness about the importance of families and marriage, as well as workshops to restore marital life and counselling for divorcees and their children.
"The number one reason for divorce is irreconcilable differences, but the second reason is financial struggles," said Ahmed Al Nuaimi.
"Most of these divorces happen in the first year of marriage, which immensely indicates how these couples are finding it difficult to adapt to marriage - that is why we need programmes that can help couples cope."
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com