78% believe Arab women are opulent and lavish

According to a survey conducted by Emarat Al Youm on Arab women’s spending habits, about 78 per cent believe that Arab women are opulent and lavish.

While 15 per cent of those who participated in the newspaper survey believe Arab women spend sparingly and 7 per cent said that Arab women save money. About 7,600 individuals took part in the survey.

The findings of the survey are in line with the consumption and expenditure survey and the household income, conducted by Statistics Centre of Dubai in 2009, said the daily.

Eng Hassan Al Kuthairy, an expert on issues of consumption and the founder of the Network of the Arab Consumers said, “I agree 100 per cent with the results of the survey. The advertising in the Arab world is targeted at women and children as they are the main engines who guide the family budget.”

He also said women’s requirements in terms of clothing and accessories are vastly different from men. He added that women need a huge wardrobe as they have to attend a number of functions, protocols, banquets, etc.

Al Kuthairy also explained that women tend to spend a lot as husbands provide for their families to the best of their abilities.

Al Kuthairy added that the lack of women's consumer culture, including lack of awareness and education among women also contributed to the over-the-top spending.

Meanwhile, the results of the poll also corresponded with results of the survey conducted by Statistics Center of Dubai, which had concluded that Emirati families in Dubai annually spend Dh1.132 billion on their lifestyle, which includes food, drink and smoke.

Comparatively, expats living in Dubai spend much less. While Arab expatriates living in the emirate spend about Dh739.991 million, European expats spend Dh465.153 million on food and drink.

Meanwhile, in terms of clothing and footwear, while an Emirati family spends 7.25 per cent of their annual income, Arab expat family spends 3 per cent, and European family spends about 3.1 per cent of their annual income on clothing and footwear.

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