Doha: With the declining fertility rate of Qatari women in the country, Qatari men should opt for multiple marriages for a steady growth in the population, according to a prominent religious scholar.
The reproduction and fertility rate of the Qatari women is steadily decreasing, participants of a session organised by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) said.
The session discussed some of the challenges faced by the Qatari women and ways to find a balance between their professional life and their family duties.
“The solution for the decreasing fertility and to create balance in the population demographics (of Qatar) is to have multiple marriages for men,” Sheikh Ahmed Abu Al Ainain was quoted as saying by an Arabic daily yesterday.
The fertility rate of Qatari women declined from 4.6 in 2004 to 3.6 in 2010, according to Qatar’s Population Status 2012, a study conducted by the Permanent Population Committee.
Late marriages of women is cited as the main reason for the decline in the average number of children a woman gives birth to, with experts saying that women today prefer to pursue professional careers instead of marrying at a young age.
The session was attended by CMC Chairman Saud Al Hanzab and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs Hamad Al Hajri, along with several representatives from ministries and other institutions.
Officials said that there was a need to create suitable environment for working women to improve their professional performance, taking their needs into consideration.
They also pointed out that there was a need to find a way to decrease Qatari women’s dependency on house maids to raise their children.
The annual session was coincided by the Family Day, which was on April 15.
This is a problem not only faced by the Qatari society but it is a problem for the GCC. Participants also mentioned that there is a necessity to have accurate statistical data about working women and work conditions. The increasing of dependency on housemaids is affecting family stability.
Farida Al Obaidly, Director General of Qatar Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children (QFPWC), said she felt ‘bad’ after looking at the indicators pointing at the decrease in reproduction.
“In time, the Qatari society will face the challenge of a demographical change. However, the unemployment rate of women is much higher than men,” Obaidly said.
According to the Qatar National Strategy, 42 percent of women are expected to represent the country at the workplace by 2016.
Dr Juhaina Al Essa, deputy vice president of SCFA, meanwhile, pointed out that there are many Qatari women who own companies here but the ownership is nominal as it is primarily the men who are running these companies.
“The importance of women’s role in workplaces is also reflected by how the women look at themselves,” she said.
The Peninsula
