No job, no wedding, say UAE women residents

Marisa (name changed) is considering breaking up her engagement. The reason – her fiancé has been out of work since the recession hit the UAE.

“He’s been doing some odd jobs during the past one year. We were supposed to get married early this year but both of us believe it’s best to postpone the wedding till the time he’s more settled. I’m very fond of him but get very jittery thinking - where am I heading with a jobless man?” she told this website on the condition of anonymity.

Marisa’s emotions are shared by majority of women in the UAE, who think a jobless man is not marriageable stuff, defying the age old saying that ‘marriages are made in heaven’ or a union between man and woman is all about love.

Modern day women are different. Jobs and economic stability matter in relationships, as highlighted by an Emirates 24|7 survey this month, indicating that majority of the women who participated in the poll wouldn't marry someone unemployed. Marriage is an economic union, and the deal terms just don't look favourable when one partner's cash flow goes to zero.

According to the survey, majority (55 per cent) of the women believe that marriage is also an economic union and not just pure love. On the other hand, 20 per cent said that love comes first. “Yes, marriage is about love not money,” they said, whereas, 26 per cent were unsure of the choice they would make. “Can’t say, it depends on the man,” they said.

According to the book, Money and Marriage God's Way, money and marriage is too important to take lightly as it is one of the main causes of strife in a marriage.

“We’re not just talking about dollars and cents here . . . we’re not just talking about credit cards, budgets, and number-crunching; we’re talking about lives. We’re talking about the precious lives of your wife or husband and your children and grandchildren - and perhaps of generations to come,” says Howard Dayton, the author of the book, stressing the importance of money in a marriage.

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