A single woman arriving in Doha is presented with conflicting information:
What you are told: "The ratio of single men to single women is in your favor. It's something like 3-1."
The facts:
1.) The demographic statistics include laborers, lots and lots of laborers, that you will never interact with because of class divisions in Qatar.
2.) A number of men claiming to be single have wives living outside the country. Their wives may be absent because they could not be sponsored or because the husband is in Qatar on a short-term contract.
3.) Many of the single men are passport-chasers (sorry if the term offends, but these men do exist) and under the impression that marrying an American/Canadian/Australian/UK citizen gives them instant access to the Land of Plenty. Not the case.
4.) Many of the single men living in Qatar operate under the impression that women from Western countries will give them a guaranteed good time. And they pursue you with this goal in mind. Some of these men are quite willing to wait and put in the effort with dinners, talking, and romantic words. At the moment you are beginning to wonder if this person is the exception --BAM! -- bad behavior and inappropriate advances.
5.) Many of the single men living in Qatar are very nice. But they only want to date you. They will never marry you because they are required to marry someone from their own country or someone with a shared religious background. They will never share this fact with you. At the very moment you are sharing a candlelight dinner, their Auntie Jamila is networking the local village for a suitable wife. Having said this, I am aware that not every woman is interested in getting married. So dating one of these men may be ideal.
6.) The Middle East attracts a lot of strange Western men. Their strangeness would be called out back home, but they fly under the radar when living in the Middle East. And to be fair, the Middle East attracts a lot of strange women, too.
7.) I do believe there are a lot of interesting and intelligent men living in Qatar. But finding them among the others is no easy task. You have to put yourself out there and maintain a positive outlook.
I suppose this information presents a very negative view of dating in Qatar. Sorry. Not my intention. I use this information as a framework of understanding so I can stay grounded in reality and manage my expectations. I should also say that dating in Qatar can be a lot of fun. Regardless of the outcome, you meet people from all over the world which provides you with insight into someone else's life and experience. That is always worthwhile. In the end, I stay hopeful because I believe in Fate and the random ways of life.
What you are told: "The ratio of single men to single women is in your favor. It's something like 3-1."
The facts:
1.) The demographic statistics include laborers, lots and lots of laborers, that you will never interact with because of class divisions in Qatar.
2.) A number of men claiming to be single have wives living outside the country. Their wives may be absent because they could not be sponsored or because the husband is in Qatar on a short-term contract.
3.) Many of the single men are passport-chasers (sorry if the term offends, but these men do exist) and under the impression that marrying an American/Canadian/Australian/UK citizen gives them instant access to the Land of Plenty. Not the case.
4.) Many of the single men living in Qatar operate under the impression that women from Western countries will give them a guaranteed good time. And they pursue you with this goal in mind. Some of these men are quite willing to wait and put in the effort with dinners, talking, and romantic words. At the moment you are beginning to wonder if this person is the exception --BAM! -- bad behavior and inappropriate advances.
5.) Many of the single men living in Qatar are very nice. But they only want to date you. They will never marry you because they are required to marry someone from their own country or someone with a shared religious background. They will never share this fact with you. At the very moment you are sharing a candlelight dinner, their Auntie Jamila is networking the local village for a suitable wife. Having said this, I am aware that not every woman is interested in getting married. So dating one of these men may be ideal.
6.) The Middle East attracts a lot of strange Western men. Their strangeness would be called out back home, but they fly under the radar when living in the Middle East. And to be fair, the Middle East attracts a lot of strange women, too.
7.) I do believe there are a lot of interesting and intelligent men living in Qatar. But finding them among the others is no easy task. You have to put yourself out there and maintain a positive outlook.
I suppose this information presents a very negative view of dating in Qatar. Sorry. Not my intention. I use this information as a framework of understanding so I can stay grounded in reality and manage my expectations. I should also say that dating in Qatar can be a lot of fun. Regardless of the outcome, you meet people from all over the world which provides you with insight into someone else's life and experience. That is always worthwhile. In the end, I stay hopeful because I believe in Fate and the random ways of life.
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