jump to navigation

Qatari women: marrying older & having fewer children 7, September 2010

Posted by thegulfblog.com in Qatar.
Tags: , , , , , , ,
2 comments

More statistics have been released confirming a trend in recent years; Qatari women are getting married older and having fewer children.

Fertility rate of Qatari women (children per woman)

1999 – 5.7

2004 – 4.2

2009 – 3.8

Birth rate of Qatari women aged 15-19

1986 – 43 per 1000

1997 – 21 per 1000

2004 – 13 per 1000

2009 – 12 per 1000

Easier access to Education and evolving social norms are thought to be the key determinants behind the shifts. Women now find it not only more socially acceptably but practically easier to have a career, pushing the average child bearing age of Qatari women from 29.7 to 30.2 in only four years. Indeed, with increasing Qatarisation initiatives, given the choice between a Qatari man and a Qatari woman, employers – particularly Western, private sector ones – are more likely to choose the Qatari woman over the Qatari man (Qatari men have something of a well-deserved reputation…).