Large Emirati families may start to dwindle

Government study suggests family sizes likely to get smaller, but also shows a need for better public education.

ABU DHABI // The average Emirati in Abu Dhabi comes from a family of seven. He rarely borrows money. She loves her mobile phone. And the odds are that neither has a high school diploma, let alone a university degree, even though their parents spend liberally on education. These conclusions, drawn from a recent government study on the lives of Emiratis in the emirate, were released yesterday by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development's studies directorate. "These new results and indicators come at the same time as the important economic developments that the emirate is experiencing," said Rashid al Zaabi, the department's director of research. The study, he said, would provide information decision makers need to plan policies. The average Emirati family in the emirate consists of seven people, the report said. Dr Meenaz Kassam, assistant professor of sociology at the American University of Sharjah, said that number was likely to fall. "Women today are highly educated," she said. "It's going to happen, in this generation in particular, family sizes are going to become smaller." Her surveys among Emirati students indicated a desire for smaller families and an increased role for women in household decisions. The government study found that 54.1 per cent of Emiratis in Abu Dhabi are female, that 45.1 per cent lived in the capital and 46.8 per cent in Al Ain and that the total population was 1,030,000 in Abu Dhabi city and 567,000 in Al Ain. Only 8.1 per cent of Emiratis in Abu Dhabi live in Al Gharbia, formerly known as the Western Region, which makes up about 80 per cent of the emirate's territory. Young people feature prominently in Emirati society, the study found; under-15s make up 38.8 per cent of the population, and Emiratis between 20 and 40 constitute 40.1 per cent. The large percentages of young people in Arab societies have often been cited as a problem for the region. But Dr Kassam said the high percentage of young people could prove a boon to the country and provide a "demographic dividend" if job creation was addressed and they were educated and trained properly. "There are both difficulties and a huge advantage," Dr Kassam said. "As the population diminishes in the western countries, the Middle East will have the advantage of numbers and they will be the ones able to support the older population. In the developed world, the huge worry is who will take care of the old people." Just over half of Emiratis in the emirate, or 51 per cent, are married, a quarter have high school diplomas, and 15.6 per cent carry university degrees or higher, the study found. But the figures include members of the population who are below school graduation age. Paul Dyer, a labour and demographics expert and fellow at the Dubai School of Government, said some Emiratis dropped out of school because older family members lacked formal education. Many also had the option of joining the military. While less than half of them take out loans from banks, 74 per cent of the money lent to Emiratis goes to buying cars, and 15 per cent to buy houses. The development department said that a third of college or school-age Abu Dhabi Emiratis were being educated in private institutions. Education is a drain on these households. While families that do not have children in schools spend an average of Dh13,733 (US$3,740) a month, those with children in private institutions spend an extra Dh30,000 a year on average. In addition to tuition fees, almost one third of them enrol their children in private lessons, spending an additional Dh1,400 per month. More parents are opting for private lessons as a way to make up for what they feel is subpar public education and because the practice is not explicitly banned, Mr Dyer said. "If their kids are attending public school, they have short hours," he said. "The boys in particular are getting a poor education. And the school system legally allows teachers to give private tuition on the top. It incentivises teachers to concentrate on private tuition to boost their income, and they don't spend as much time teaching in school. You might be making the education being received in school worse." Finally, the study found that nationals spend approximately Dh1,100 a month on phone bills, of which Dh850 was spent on mobile phone bills. [e-mail]