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EMIRATI WOMEN’S PERCEPTIONS OF POLYGAMY ACCORDING TO AGE, EMPLOYMENT, AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL
Corresponding Author(s) : Khawlah M. AL-Tkhayneh
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 7 No. 5 (2019): September
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The study investigates the Emirati Women’s perceptions of polygamy according to three variables, namely age, employment, and educational level. It also explores where there are possible reasons that may drive these women to accept polygamy in certain circumstances and their reactions if it actually happens.
Methodology: To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 Emirati women to get more insight into their choice, reasons, and reactions.
Main findings: The results reveal that 88% of the participants refused the entire idea of polygamy while the rest accepted it. The results also show that the three social variables played an important role in their choice. The participants who consented to polygamy did so due to religious and cultural reasons. In case the husband went along with his remarriage, the participants indicated that they would file for divorce, especially those who are young and employed, or stay with their husbands unhappy. The latter were mostly older and unemployed.
Applications of this study: The Emirati women’s concerns of polygamy and its consequences on family life should be taken into account when revising social policies in the UAE.
The originality of this study: The study is one of its kinds to address polygamy in the UAE. It contributes to the body of knowledge through identifying Emirati women’s concerns of polygamy and discussing the reasons for accepting/rejecting polygamy.
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- Al Gharaibeh, F. M. (2015). The Effects of Divorce on Children: Mothers’ Perspectives in UAE. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 56(5), 347-368, https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2015.1046800. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2015.1046800
- Al Gharaibeh, F., & Bromfield, N. F. (2012). An analysis of divorce cases in the United Arab Emirates: A rising trend. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(6), 436-452, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.682896. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.682896
- Altakhaineh, A. R. M., AL-Tkhayneh, K. M., & Rahrouh, H. N. (2019). The Effect of the Gender and Culture of the IELTS Examiner on the Examinees’ Performance on the IELTS Speaking Test in the UAE Context. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 19(1), 33-52, https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.19.1.2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.19.1.2
- Altakhaineh, A., &Alnamer, S. (2018). The Impact of Facebookers’ Posts on Other Users’ Attitudes According to Their Age and Gender: Evidence from Al Ain University of Science and Technology. Social Sciences, 7(8), 128, https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7080128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7080128
- Bernard, H. R. (2017). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rowman& Littlefield.
- Brinkmann, S. (2014). Unstructured and semi-structured. The Oxford handbook of qualitative research, 277-299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199811755.013.030
- Bromfield, N. (2014). Interviews with divorced women from the United Arab Emirates: a rare glimpse into lived experiences. Families, Relationships and Societies, 3(3), 339-354, https://doi.org/10.1332/2046 74313X13842674567773. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/204674313X13842674567773
- Bromfield, N. F., Ashour, S., & Rider, K. (2016). Divorce from Arranged Marriages: An Exploration of Lived Experiences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 57(4), 280-297, https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2016.1160482. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2016.1160482
- Creswell, J. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. (4th ed). Pearson: Boston.
- Doi, A. R. I., &Bewley, A. (1989). Woman in Shari'ah (Islamic Law) (p. 84). London: Ta-Ha.
- Hinchcliffe, D. (2017). Polygamy in traditional and contemporary Islamic law. In Issues in Islamic Law (pp. 63-78). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315092386-6
- Howland, R. J., &Koenen, A. (2014). Divorce and polygamy in Tanzania. Social Justice, 15, https://ecommons.luc.edu/social_justice/15.
- Liu, J. (2017). The new Asian paradigm: a relational approach. In J. Liu, M. Travers, & L. Chang (Eds.), Comparative criminology in Asia (pp. 17–32). Switzerland: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54942-2_2
- Machado, C., Dias, A., &Coehlo, C. (2010). Culture and wife abuse: an overview of theory, research and practice. In S. G. Shoham, P. Knepper, & M. Kett (Eds.), Internationalhandbook of victimology (pp. 639– 668). Boca Raton: CRC Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1420085471-c24
- Marcotte, R. D. (2001). Šaḥrūr, the Status of Women, and Polygamy in Islam. Orientemoderno, 20(2/3), 313-328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22138617-0810203003
- Marriage - The Official Portal of the UAE Government (March 2019), retrieved from https://government.ae/en/information-and-services/social-affairs/marriage on 13th April2019.
- Mashhour, A. (2005). Islamic law and gender equality: Could there be a common ground?: A study of divorce and polygamy in Sharia Law and contemporary legislation in Tunisia and Egypt. Human Rights Quarterly, 562-596, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20069797. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2005.0022
- Oduyoye, M and Kanyoro, M. (2005). Polygamy: A feminist critique. The will to arise: Women, tradition, and the Church in Africa. Eugene: Wipf and Stock.
- Rabionet, S. E. (2011). How I Learned to Design and Conduct Semi-Structured Interviews: An Ongoing and Continuous Journey. Qualitative Report, 16(2), 563-566.
- Rohman, A. (2013). Reinterpret polygamy in Islam: A case study in Indonesia. Rohman, Arif.(2013). Reinterpret Polygamy in Islam: A Case Study in Indonesia. Int J Hum &SocSciInv, 2(10), 68-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2258284
References
Al Gharaibeh, F. M. (2015). The Effects of Divorce on Children: Mothers’ Perspectives in UAE. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 56(5), 347-368, https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2015.1046800. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2015.1046800
Al Gharaibeh, F., & Bromfield, N. F. (2012). An analysis of divorce cases in the United Arab Emirates: A rising trend. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 53(6), 436-452, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.682896. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2012.682896
Altakhaineh, A. R. M., AL-Tkhayneh, K. M., & Rahrouh, H. N. (2019). The Effect of the Gender and Culture of the IELTS Examiner on the Examinees’ Performance on the IELTS Speaking Test in the UAE Context. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 19(1), 33-52, https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.19.1.2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.19.1.2
Altakhaineh, A., &Alnamer, S. (2018). The Impact of Facebookers’ Posts on Other Users’ Attitudes According to Their Age and Gender: Evidence from Al Ain University of Science and Technology. Social Sciences, 7(8), 128, https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7080128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7080128
Bernard, H. R. (2017). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rowman& Littlefield.
Brinkmann, S. (2014). Unstructured and semi-structured. The Oxford handbook of qualitative research, 277-299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199811755.013.030
Bromfield, N. (2014). Interviews with divorced women from the United Arab Emirates: a rare glimpse into lived experiences. Families, Relationships and Societies, 3(3), 339-354, https://doi.org/10.1332/2046 74313X13842674567773. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/204674313X13842674567773
Bromfield, N. F., Ashour, S., & Rider, K. (2016). Divorce from Arranged Marriages: An Exploration of Lived Experiences. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 57(4), 280-297, https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2016.1160482. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2016.1160482
Creswell, J. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. (4th ed). Pearson: Boston.
Doi, A. R. I., &Bewley, A. (1989). Woman in Shari'ah (Islamic Law) (p. 84). London: Ta-Ha.
Hinchcliffe, D. (2017). Polygamy in traditional and contemporary Islamic law. In Issues in Islamic Law (pp. 63-78). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315092386-6
Howland, R. J., &Koenen, A. (2014). Divorce and polygamy in Tanzania. Social Justice, 15, https://ecommons.luc.edu/social_justice/15.
Liu, J. (2017). The new Asian paradigm: a relational approach. In J. Liu, M. Travers, & L. Chang (Eds.), Comparative criminology in Asia (pp. 17–32). Switzerland: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54942-2_2
Machado, C., Dias, A., &Coehlo, C. (2010). Culture and wife abuse: an overview of theory, research and practice. In S. G. Shoham, P. Knepper, & M. Kett (Eds.), Internationalhandbook of victimology (pp. 639– 668). Boca Raton: CRC Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/EBK1420085471-c24
Marcotte, R. D. (2001). Šaḥrūr, the Status of Women, and Polygamy in Islam. Orientemoderno, 20(2/3), 313-328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22138617-0810203003
Marriage - The Official Portal of the UAE Government (March 2019), retrieved from https://government.ae/en/information-and-services/social-affairs/marriage on 13th April2019.
Mashhour, A. (2005). Islamic law and gender equality: Could there be a common ground?: A study of divorce and polygamy in Sharia Law and contemporary legislation in Tunisia and Egypt. Human Rights Quarterly, 562-596, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20069797. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2005.0022
Oduyoye, M and Kanyoro, M. (2005). Polygamy: A feminist critique. The will to arise: Women, tradition, and the Church in Africa. Eugene: Wipf and Stock.
Rabionet, S. E. (2011). How I Learned to Design and Conduct Semi-Structured Interviews: An Ongoing and Continuous Journey. Qualitative Report, 16(2), 563-566.
Rohman, A. (2013). Reinterpret polygamy in Islam: A case study in Indonesia. Rohman, Arif.(2013). Reinterpret Polygamy in Islam: A Case Study in Indonesia. Int J Hum &SocSciInv, 2(10), 68-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2258284