Expensive Wedding
Arab and Islamic tradition requires the bridegroom to pay a dowry to his future wife and also to provide jewelry for her. In recent years some marriages have cost a lot more money than the men can afford. The average wedding costs about 400,000 DH and many cost much more. This has caused a lot of problems for UAE society. As a result of high dowry prices and expensive wedding, men have chosen several other options. Some men have waited a long time until they have enough money or stay single. Other men have married women outside Emirati culture who don’t ask for large amounts of money. Still other men borrow large amounts of money from banks. The Marriage Fund tries to prevent these problems by giving loans to young men who marry national women. It also arranges group wedding to save money. The government is trying to make sure that Emirati have strong families.