Families across the UAE are increasingly postponing parenthood as rising living expenses, growing career ambitions, and health-related concerns influence decisions about marriage, family size, and long-term life planning.
Rising Expenses and Career Focus Drive Drop in UAE Birth Rates
Over the last decade, birth rates among Emiratis have shown a noticeable decline, prompting many families to explain why they are choosing to have fewer children or not grow their families further. Official figures cited by Emarat Al Youm and sourced from the Ministry of Health and Prevention reveal a 13.55 per cent drop in Emirati births between 2014 and 2023. During this period, the number of newborn Emiratis fell from 34,618 to 29,926. Families point to a range of contributing factors, including increasing financial pressures, the rising cost of living, and a shared preference among couples—particularly those with three or fewer children—to preserve a comfortable and stable standard of living.
Health conditions and living costs
Maryam Hamad, a Dubai-based Emirati, welcomed her first child just six months after getting married in 2014. Over the course of a decade, she has had three children, with intervals of no more than four years between each birth.
She explained that raising children comes with significant responsibility, particularly for families who live independently without daily support from grandparents. According to Maryam, modern parenting requires far more effort and commitment, and she believes that a successful family is defined by the quality of care and values provided to children rather than the size of the family.
Maryam also shared that she has been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that requires long-term lifestyle management rather than a permanent medical cure. She noted that planning a pregnancy involves careful preparation, including following a disciplined diet and exercise programme to meet medical recommendations, even though she is not considered overweight.
Beyond health considerations, she said financial factors and the need to dedicate enough time and attention to each child have influenced her decision to postpone additional pregnancies. Until recently, the family depended entirely on her husband’s salary, which she described as challenging due to rising expenses such as housing, daily household costs, childcare needs, and maintaining a comfortable standard of living.
Now that she has recently entered the workforce, Maryam said she may consider expanding her family in the future, possibly when her youngest child reaches the age of six.
Choosing to stop at one child
Abdulrahman Mohammed, a Dubai-based Emirati who married in 2018, is the father of one daughter and says he and his wife are satisfied with their current family size.
He noted that maintaining a good standard of living is a top priority for them, and despite both parents being employed, they feel that raising one child allows them to strike the right balance. Abdulrahman pointed out that demanding work schedules for both himself and his wife have played a significant role in delaying plans for a second child, along with lifestyle-related considerations.
He explained that aspects such as travel, private education, and ensuring a level of comfort beyond basic needs are important to them. His goal is to provide fully for his family without having to make sacrifices, and he believes that adding another child at this point would require compromises they are not ready to make.
While the possibility of expanding their family remains open, Abdulrahman said the decision has simply been deferred for the time being.
Working motherhood responsibilities
Reem Ali, an Emirati from Sharjah and a mother of a two-year-old child, was married in 2020 at the age of 26. “It was an agreement between my husband and me to take time to strengthen our relationship before expanding our family,” she said.Reem joined the workforce one year after marriage, noting that pregnancy was a difficult decision early in her career.
“My job was very demanding and required long hours, especially since I was working nine hours a day in another emirate,” she explained.After six months of settling into her role, she decided to conceive. However, during pregnancy, she struggled with long commutes and heavy traffic, often spending hours traveling to and from work.
Reem currently has one child due to work pressures, lives independently away from her family, and her husband works in a different location. She plans to have another child once her son turns three, believing it will be easier to balance work and parenting.
Public discussion
The topic has generated widespread debate, especially among married couples and those preparing for marriage. Many Emiratis have voiced worries about the rising cost of living, escalating education fees, academic and professional pressures, extended working hours, delayed marriage among women—which can complicate conception—and comparatively modest incomes.
Dr Ramya Raj, Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at International Modern Hospital, said that Emirati families are facing genuine and multifaceted challenges, and highlighted several factors contributing to postponed parenthood.
Delayed marriage and modern pressures:
“Every statistic reflects real people,” she explained. “Young couples carefully weighing when to marry, working mothers trying to balance career goals with caregiving, and fathers wishing to spend more time with their families while managing financial strain. These are not just social issues—they also require policy-level attention.”
Growing fertility-related health concerns:
Dr Raj noted that even younger patients are increasingly experiencing reduced ovarian reserves, along with a significant rise in secondary infertility among men.
Lifestyle changes and preference for smaller families:
She pointed to factors such as highly processed diets, vitamin D deficiency, hormonal imbalances, and medical conditions including PCOS and endometriosis. These, combined with a shift away from large households, have led many couples to limit family size to two or three children.
Evolving fertility trends:
“A decade ago, most women seeking fertility care were under 35,” she said. “Now, it is common to see women in their late thirties or early forties opting to freeze their eggs because marriage is being postponed due to work or academic commitments.”
Dr Raj further explained that extended working hours can negatively affect reproductive health by disturbing hormonal balance. Long-term stress can interfere with the production of key hormones such as cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones, which play a role in ovulation and fertility. Persistent stress may also delay or inhibit ovulation, reduce the chances of conception, and disrupt gut health, which is important for hormone regulation and immune function. In men, stress has been linked to reduced sperm quality.
She stressed that fertility naturally declines with age in both men and women, increasing the likelihood of pregnancy-related complications over time. Dr Raj also addressed common misconceptions, clarifying that conception does not occur only within a narrow fertile window and that infertility is not exclusively a women’s issue.
She advised couples to consult a medical professional if they have been trying to conceive for a year without success, or after six months in cases where the woman is over the age of 35.
National efforts
At the same time, the UAE has been introducing a variety of measures to help alleviate these pressures by tackling their underlying causes, providing greater support to young couples, and promoting the development of strong, sustainable families.
A Ministry of Family has been created to oversee matters related to Emirati households, with a particular focus on lowering the average age of marriage—which in recent years has increased to 29 for men and 26 for women—and encouraging higher birth rates.
The ministry is also taking steps to streamline marriage processes and cut related expenses, including hosting collective wedding ceremonies and expanding health and social support services.
Furthermore, the declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Family highlights the UAE’s long-term commitment to strengthening family cohesion, stability, and growth across the country.
