The family unit is the most important thing in Kuwaiti society. Arab names themselves contain a sort of genealogy: Ibrahim Al-Ahmad Al-Mansour Al-Rashid, for example, is Ibrahim, the son of Ahmad, the son of Mansour, the son of Rashid. After the birth of a child, the parents are often referred to by derivatives of the child’s name: Abu Khalid is the “father of Khalid”, and Umm-Bader is the “mother of Bader”.

The Kuwaiti family is generally very closed and private. It consists of a closely-knit extended family circle, some of whose members may be only distantly related. It is not unheard of for cousins to marry, and in fact it used to be the norm. Thus the

Family At The Beach

Desert Picnic

Kuwaitis love children. The traditional average family size is around ten. Males carry more prestige than females. Members of the older generation are accorded much respect and appreciated for their wisdom, for they represent an era lost to the present generation.

It may seem to be a man’s world outside, but mother rules the roost and cracks the whip at home. This is her domain and traditional role, just as it is for the man to do his duty by providing adequate means. It must be said, however, that the addition of maids from the third world has been a great boon to many mothers, but has also created social/psychological side effects in its wake. The mother nurtures and

Despite the relatively new-found freedom of education bestowed upon the young Kuwaiti woman, her brother/ husband/father still sees her as being pivotal in rearing and bringing babies into the world. But the mother is also more than this, for she is captain of the family in terms of the management of the home. She is, moreover, the judge and sometimes jury when it comes to social problems and their outcomes.

Who says women have an inferior position in Arab society?

Family Size Pizza