Spouses of Student Mothers in the United Arab Emirates: Enablers or Constraints to Their Pursuit of Higher Education?

Abstract

The educational status of Emirati women in the United Arab Emirates has developed rapidly over the last five decades, with females now outnumbering males in higher education institutions. Marriage and motherhood often take place during the years of undergraduate study for women, particularly for those from families who retain Emirati cultural traditions of relatively early marriage and childbearing. This study analyses the role which spouses play in their wives’ pursuit of education, using the theoretical gender and development lens to explore whether a transformation of power relations within the marriage takes place for the growth in female participation in higher education to occur. Spousal behaviours are identified and categorized through the gender and development lens as either enablers or constraints to women’s empowerment and participation in higher education, and potential reasons for these behaviours surrounding gender relations are discussed.

Historical change in the Emirati life script

“…Although the older participants had a more traditional idea of the female than of the male Newborn life (Table 3), they nevertheless appreciated the change of lifestyle the most when thinking about the current prototypical Emirati female life. Traditionally, the place of an Emirati woman has been in the domestic environment, whereas Emirati women nowadays participate in the workforce and public life, and have more personal freedom than in the past (Dickson & Tennant, 2021; Heard‐Bey, 2021).…”

“…Prayers at the mosque and weddings take place in separate rooms for men and women, while male and female guests are welcomed to different areas of the house. Marriage and family life adhere to the Islamic patriarchal division of roles and responsibilities, which assigns full financial responsibility to the husband and the responsibility for household and childbearing to the wife (Dickson & Tennant, 2021). Because marriage is meant to support women and to preserve the social status of the family and, more broadly, of the tribe, consanguineous and arranged marriages are customary, although less traditional families may grant their children some freedom of choice (Rashad et al, 2020).…”

“…Literacy rates and school and university enrollment increased especially among women, and today, female students vastly outnumber male students. Consequently, a greater number of women enter the labor market, which delays marriage and childbearing, and increases the reliance on domestic servants (Dickson & Tennant, 2021).…”