Dubai’s upscale, booming and exciting property market and stunning beachfront developments that go on for what seems like forever together with its tax free, dynamic lifestyle and excellent employment prospects are all widely appealing to real estate investors and expatriates alike. With current estimates claiming that the population in Dubai will nearly double by the year 2010, the attraction of this Persian Gulf emirate is absolutely impossible to deny!
But what can British women expect when they relocate to this Arabic country? Will they greatly have to change their daily habits? Will they have to cover up, are they really welcome? This article is a frank look at what it’s like for Western women living in Dubai to give British women and other Western female expat-wannabes an idea of what to expect from this country that’s nestled between Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The reality is that Dubai is more than receptive and welcoming to Westerners and by most reports, Western women living in Dubai find they really do not need to change their habits all that greatly. The tourist areas of the country in particular embrace Western culture and give women the freedom to do as they please – within reason! Additionally, because Dubai is currently undergoing a government-supported effort to increase tourism and expatriate investment, so the welcome mat has been officially rolled out for male and female expats from around the world.
Whilst wearing a veil or headdress does not need to become part of daily life for Western women living in Dubai, according to most female expatriates a little bit of advice is consistent – for example, women living in Dubai suggest their Western counterparts adopt a conservative approach to dressing out of respect to the culture. This doesn’t mean full headdresses and coverings, but it does mean avoiding low cut and V-neck tops and short skirts and bare arms. This advice particularly applies to women traveling outside the more heavily populated tourist and business areas. Within the populated areas, many women living in Dubai say they feel comfortable acting and dressing as they would in any other large cosmopolitan city in Europe or America for example.
Beyond the style of dress, women living in Dubai tend to report some common ups and downs. On the downside, living in Dubai can be rather expensive. Property in Dubai is very costly and rental rates are not exactly classified as cheap by most people! The amenities and social side of life in Dubai and the constant hustle and bustle seem to make up for this in the eyes of many though. Most women report a bounty of things to do, places to go and activities to keep them busy and the shopping in this emirate is incredible!
Living in Dubai is not quite like living in London, Paris or elsewhere in Europe though - it is however a landscape many Western, Christian women find themselves very comfortable living in. As more Britons make their homes in Dubai, the cultures seem to be coming together nicely in most cases.
