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Single female, over 30 and 'too old' to marry in UAE

Dunya News

If you are a 30-year-old Emirati woman and still single, you will be now considered to be too old.

If you are a 30-year-old Emirati woman and still single, then you have missed the marriage boat: by UAE standards, you are now considered to be too old.Authorities in the Gulf state say more women are falling into this category: some 60 percent, according to the latest statistics, raising concerns among officials and sparking online debates as to why.The issue has been the focus of discussions for weeks at the Federal National Council, the countrys appointed consultative body, where members are scrambling to find a solution to what they believe could be a serious demographic problem.This is very worrying, FNC member Said al-Kitbi told AFP, adding that there are now more than 175,000 Emirati women who are over 30 and unmarried.Though he conceded that being a spinster is not a bad thing in itself, he argues that the demographic consequences of these women not having children is the real problem.The United Arab Emirates is home to more than eight million people, only 950,000 of them UAE citizens. The rest are foreign, and young Emirati men are increasingly choosing to marry them instead.The latest government statistics show that at least 20 percent of UAE men are marrying non-Emiratis.The reasons behind this growing trend of spinsterhood are not entirely clear.UAE planning ministry statistics show that in 1995, only 20 percent of women over 30 were unmarried. By 2008, that figure was 50 percent.Some evidence suggests that excessively high dowries are preventing men without the means from choosing a spouse.The latest survey by the UAE Marriage Fund, a government institution that provides financial assistance to those who want to marry but cannot afford to, showed that 87 percent of respondents blamed high dowries for low marriage rates among Emirati women.The government has imposed a $14,000 ceiling on dowries, but many families still demand much more -- in some cases over $135,000.One of my friends is still paying his dowry bill and hes been married nine years, said Ali Mansouri, 30.