February 22nd, 2019 | Updated on May 25th, 2022
Dubai is one of the happening and the most glamorous cities in the world. When talking about Dubai, the first thing that pops in our mind is tall skyscrapers and rich Emiratis in luxury cars. After all, it is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
The city has everything to offer to you. If you are planning for a holiday trip abroad, you can very well consider Dubai on your list. It is sure that the glitz and the glam of the city are going to blow your mind away. Dubai is a city that is even advanced than some of the western countries.
Exploring the life and the culture of Dubai people is a treat in itself. To make the most of your Dubai trip you should connect with locals in Dubai.
Speaking of Dubai, many of us seem to have a certain stereotypical notion about the city and it’s people. In this write-up, we will discuss some of the most common stereotypes about the locals of the city.
What you are going to read is going to change your perception about Dubai completely. If you already for the surprise then read along!
Common Stereotypes
Many of us have pre-conceived ideas about the people of Dubai when in reality it’s not even true. That said, we are going to look into some of the most common stereotypes about the locals of the city. Here you go with it.
1. Everyone Is A Millionaire In Dubai
According to the world, everyone from Dubai is a millionaire. Well, this may be true to a certain extent for many of the but then there are also average citizens in the city as well.
There are locals who are known to live in an average sized apartment or even in smaller traditional houses. The number of average locals may be less in number but then they do exist.
What we mean to say is not everyone in Dubai is rich as the popular belief convey. In fact, you will also come across Bedouin locals who live far away from the rich and glamorous lifestyles of the city. Most of these Bedouin people live in small tents in the desert area.
2. Locals In Dubai Are All Into The Oil Business
It is true that Dubai gains most of its wealth from oil but not all locals are related to an oil tycoon. In reality, there are locals who have very less or no connection to the oil business at all.
The oil business is mainly handled by the royal families in the city. Other families and locals have their own business to run.
3. It Is Mandatory For Every Local Woman To Wear A Hijab
Hijab happens to be the traditional headscarf for Muslim women. Since Dubai is a Muslim country, many of you may believe that every local woman are forced to wear it. But that is not the case in reality.
Women in Dubai are free to decide whether they want to cover their head or not. It is completely up to their choice of what they want to do.
However, you can still see most women wearing a hijab for religious reasons and also as a status of being a local Emirati. Hijab is also worn as a fashion accessory as well.
4. Women In Dubai Are Oppressed
Many of the visitors in Dubai associate the hijab with women being suppressed in the city. According to them, Emirati women are oppressed than women residing in the west. However, this is far from being true.
You should be surprised to know but Emirati women are the most empowered women in the whole world. Emirati women are known to give competition to the men in the city.
For example, some of the highest positions in the government are held by women. Not only that, but there are more Emirati women than men in the Universities out there. So don’t you mistake the hijab as a sign of oppression.
5. Men In Dubai Have More Than One Wife
According to outsiders, they believe that every Emirati men have more than one wife in their life. The belief mainly stems from the fact, the holy book Islam, the Quran permits a man to have four wives if he is able to meet the requirements.
Well, this is not true and you can see the reality once you visit Dubai. The modern generation of Emiratis mostly has one wife and a happy family to lead their lives.
6. Dubai Men Don’t Need Jobs Because They Have Enough Money
This is yet another stereotype that is believed by the outsiders. As already mentioned earlier, not all Emiratis are rich and therefore, they need to have jobs in order to earn a living for themselves. There are people in the city who have their day jobs to attend.
They may reside in an extravagant city like Dubai but they lead a very normal life to live the average people in the West. Locals are known to work in local businesses, government sector, police stations,and security. Even rich people go to work for the experience even if they don’t need the money.
7. Everyone In Dubai Has Camels
It is true that in the past almost everyone owns camels in Dubai as a part of their tradition. But things have changed quite a lot since then. Today, Emiratis live in a society where there is no extra space or time to have camels. In fact, most of the younger generation of Emiratis haven’t even touched a camel in their life till date.
After going through the mentioned points, you should realize the truth about the city and its people. Everything that you have been believing about Dubai is far away from being true. Now that you know what the reality looks like you should have a different perspective about the city now. However, the glam and the glitz of the city remains intact.
