Cross-National Marriage in Qatar

Abstract

AbstractWhile cross-national marriage has come to public attention and is gaining traction in Western scholarship, it is still an understudied phenomenon in the Arab region, including Qatar. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore and describe the phenomenological constructs of cross-national marriages by Qataris through documenting the societal perception, family reaction, and motivating factors behind this marriage form. To achieve the study’s aim, a phenomenological qualitative method was used along with in-depth interviews as the primary source of data collection. The results indicated that cross-national marriage among Qataris is on the rise. Qatari society has become more accepting of cross-national marriage over the years. Yet, negative perceptions and resistance to cross-national marriage still persist. Furthermore, acceptance and consent are not expressed uniformly between families. Some families are more open and supportive towards cross-national marriages, while others express rejection and resentment that may or may not resolve itself as time passes. The results further showed that the costs of marriage and mahr (dowry), background similarities, exposure to other nationalities, and attraction to individual attributes have been identified as dominant reasons for interviewees who chose to marry outside their nationality. More research is needed to further investigate this phenomenon using a mixed-method approach.