They are born into some of the most conservative societies in the world, where a girl does not move out of her parents' home until her wedding night.
But an increasing number of single young women from the Gulf states are now breaking with centuries of tradition by moving to the Emirates to pursue lucrative careers and - most significant of all - live on their own away from their families.
This group, along with Emiratis making similar choices, are better educated than previous generations of Gulf women, more confident and feel little or no guilt about delaying marriage.
For Deena al Awami, 24, a Saudi citizen who moved to Abu Dhabi a year ago, the difference between living in Saudi Arabia and pursuing a career in the capital came down to this: a woman back home may have more potential than a man, but not as many opportunities.
It is almost the first thing Ms Awami says when she arrives for a cafe meeting and slings her beige Louis Vuitton bag over the back of the chair.
With her Dolce and Gabbana heels and skinny jeans, she could have stepped from the pages of a New York fashion magazine. Indeed, Ms Awami grew up in California and has a degree in media and mass communications from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
She may wear European clothes and have an American education, but she still admits that it was not easy to convince her parents to break with Arab tradition and allow their unmarried daughter to take a job with Aldar, the property development company.
"My mum first told me to fly a kite," she says. "Never, never was she going to let me do this.
"They all thought I could get a job in Bahrain or Saudi so why move? My sister is engaged to a guy in the Emirates and he convinced them that Aldar is a big company, it's growing, it's a big opportunity. He said it's a good chance."
A key part of persuading her parents was the promise that she would fly to Bahrain every weekend to visit them, or to Saudi Arabia where her cousins say she has blazed a trail.
"My cousins are just graduating and they say, 'that's it, we want to move to the UAE too'," she says. "My female cousins tell me this. I have Kuwaiti friends who are moving here. It's about more freedom, freedom of choice and living your life the way you want." There are no statistics on how many single Gulf women are living and working in Dubai; indeed statistics on social trends in the Gulf are extremely difficult to come by and studies almost non-existent.
However, scholars say they began observing an increase after the September 11 attacks when many families, Saudis in particular, began sending their children to Dubai in the belief that allowing them to work in a neighbouring Islamic state was safer than sending them to the West, says Rima Sabban, a Dubai-based sociologist.
"It is a post-9/11 phenomena," she says. "The whole Arab region today is pushing its young generation out. Dubai and the UAE is pulling them. The UAE is much safer place to all Arabs. There are those who come from the politically chaotic states. Others are from the socially repressive states and others from the economically depressed."
Dr Sabban points out that Saudi Arabia and even Kuwait are much more socially restrictive for women while Bahrain's economy lags behind that of the UAE.
For parents, she says, the UAE's status with the Islamic world is crucial. "Their families think Dubai is Muslim, it is protective, it is conservative and from their perspective this is what they need," she says.
From the women's perspective, Dubai is a city with relaxed social attitudes and a single woman can live on her own legally at age 21.
These women are nearly always from a liberal, upper-class background, and have at least a bachelor's degree or more, says Paul Dyer, a research associate at the Dubai School of Government. "They can come to Dubai, work professionally, get an apartment of their own or live with a brother for example," he said. "It is a lifestyle that provides them with independence and they maintain a life they couldn't get anywhere else in the Gulf."
Earlier generations of Arab women. including the Lebanese and Palestinians, obtained jobs as school teachers or secretaries. But the new generation arriving from the Gulf states tend to gravitate towards careers in such fields as property, the media, the arts, sales or marketing, says Dr Sabban.
Sameera al Musallami, 24, a human resources officer, spends five nights a week at Dubai's Dusit Thani hotel, returning home to visit her family in Ajman each weekend.
She says she enjoys working at the Thai-owned establishment so much and learning about Thai culture that she does not mind being considered odd by many of her friends.
"My dream was to apply for a job in this place because I loved the way the building looks from the outside," says the Higher Colleges of Technology graduate. "People say to me, 'how can you live with them, or eat their food', but I say the Thai are the same people as us." Many foreigners, she feels, believe Emiratis want to work only for the Government. "But I would like to be a role model and change attitudes."
Her Egyptian-born mother, a housewife, gave her blessing because she wanted her daughter to take advantage of opportunities she never had. However, her older sister was dubious because some hotels have reputations as being little more than brothels.
"She said that people have bad ideas about hotels so I asked her to visit me at my accommodation and office. She did and said, 'OK, go ahead'. My accommodation is a single room. There are three buildings. One for men, one for single women and one for families."
She often feels lonely, but sees this as a price worth paying for the opportunity to pursue her ambitions. "I dream of being a human resources manager," she says. "This is my future, if I lose this chance I may not find a new chance."
What about marriage? She blushes.
"Not yet. I'm still young. I'm focused on my goal. My mother says it is your time now and enjoy it."
With education levels of Gulf women rising, Ms Musallami is typical of females who choose to delay marriage; it is no longer uncommon for women to be single into their early 30s, which would have been considered scandalous a generation ago.
"They finish university or college by age 20 or 21 and are socialised with the idea to work or are excited to work and once they become more educated they contest gender roles in the family," says Mr Dyer, the Dubai School of Government research specialist. "As they go out, work and become successful they have a harder time finding men willing to marry them."
In Saudi Arabia, one in 16 women is still not married by the age of 30, according to a government study published last year.
Noora, 34, who prefers to withhold her last name, agrees that independent women sometimes struggle to find husbands.
She has a higher diploma from the Emirates Institute of Banking and Financial Studies in Sharjah and works in a bank. "If you find someone less educated than you, then you don't want to marry them," she says. "I had male suitors who were less educated and were also way younger so how could I marry them?
"Women today are more open-minded, you can give your opinions, you don't have stay at home and say nothing. But for men, some of them are still living in the past. I hear a lot of my colleagues at work saying this too. Men, not all of them, do not want their woman to get ahead."
Yet Ms Awami is convinced attitudes are changing.
"I want someone who understands me and who I understand," she says. "Someone who respects my decisions. I'm not picky about where he is from as long as he is a decent guy."
Even so, she is not even thinking of marriage.
"Maybe I'll marry when I'm 30," she says. But for now, she is having fun. Glancing at her mobile phone, she announces that it is time to go. It is 10pm and a text message tells her friends are waiting at the Shangri-La hotel for a late night shisha.
@Email:hghafour@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Honeymoonish
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
