Family life and the demographic transition in MENA countries: implications for social policy

Abstract

This paper reviews recent demographic and familial changes in the Middle East and North African countries (MENA), which parallel the developments associated with the second demographic transition that has transformed population profiles and family life in the more developed OECD countries. The emerging needs for family-oriented policies are analysed in relation to these changes. And the current levels of social protection in the MENA region are assessed along with the recent measures initiated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper offers evidence of the demographic transition underway in the region, as many countries are experiencing declining fertility rates combined with an increase in life expectancy, which creates a rising old age dependency ratio. This in turn adds an additional burden of elderly dependents on the working age population and on the state’s capacity to care for elderly dependents, which generates an increasing need to expand social protection in the MENA region.

Family business in the Arabian Gulf region

“…These two historical facts embedded familism into the business context of the region – both for limiting contracting costs in intra-family/clan business arrangements and also as a means of generating vouchsafe guarantees and assurances of ethicality in inter-family transactions. To enhance inter-family relationships, among both the Arab and the migrant communities, marriages were often arranged with a view of solidifying social and economic connections and for avoiding any future conflicts (Gilbert and Brik, 2022). These arrangements also tended to centralize the importance of wider family connections in nascent and emerging business activities.…”