A two-tier education system
Completely free of charge, as are textbooks and transport, schooling for Qatari children takes up twelve years of life, in three successive cycles: six years of primary school, three years of secondary school and three years of tertiary education. The first school was opened in 1952, in the wake of the oil boom. In 1973, the College of Education was launched, prefiguring the university of 1977. Today, more than 500 schools cater for children in free public schools. But as the country's wealth grew, so did the fashion for foreign private institutions, which today attract the most affluent young people from the most liberal homes. Education City is a pioneer in the development of prestigious universities. But in 2019, the UN warned that the high cost of schools in Qatar was preventing the children of immigrant workers from studying. Out of 2.75 million residents, 90% are foreigners. UN rapporteur on the right to education Koumbou Boly Barry said in a conference that "charges in these schools can reach levels that are impossible for these families to sustain". The UN estimates that 4,000 migrant children would not be able to afford the costs of the University as a result.
Women, rare in the world of work
Although women are achieving high levels of education, parity in the world of work is far from being a reality in Qatar. Women account for just 20% of the workforce, and are mostly confined to jobs in the public sector, banking and telecommunications. The emblematic role played by Sheikha Mozah, the mother of the current Emir Tamim ben Hamad, a figure of power, beauty and a certain independence of spirit, is particularly noteworthy. Female role models are becoming more and more common, and the example of working expatriate women is likely to encourage a change in mentality in a country where patriarchy still largely prevails.
In everyday life, women wear a black scarf known as a shielah, khemaar or hijab, with or without their faces uncovered. Her black tunic, the abaya, is sometimes adorned on the sleeves with silver thread and colored pearls. Glasses in headbands, handbags and high heels bear the hallmarks of the great French and Italian fashion houses. One of Madame's friends, from a very conservative upbringing, has adopted the Saudi style: she wears the niqab, revealing only the eye patch. Madame and her friend, with the cadence of their Louboutin stilettos, bathed in Guerlain, the Place Vendôme in saltire and generously made up, exude elegance beneath their apparent rigor. The foreigners wear their usual clothes, always "gentle", no miniskirts, no cleavage and no exposed navels, of course. Only the clubs welcome expats and tourists in sexy sequined dresses.
Polygamy is widespread
Polygamy is authorized in Qatar according to Muslim criteria, i.e. provided that the husband has sufficient resources to ensure the material comfort of all his wives. Not a difficult task for Qataris flush with riyals. The Koran allows any Muslim to take up to four legitimate wives. Mixed marriages are also permitted under Islamic law: a Muslim may marry a woman of another faith, provided that their children are brought up in the father's religion. On the other hand, a non-Muslim must convert to Islam before marrying a Muslim woman. The law heavily penalizes those who fail to respect these principles. Traditionally, it is the young man's family who chooses a wife for him, from among young girls of their acquaintance whom they deem worthy of marriage. However, mores are evolving, and more and more often young people have a say in these arranged marriages.
African heritage linked to slavery
The situation of Africans in Qatar raises a number of questions. In a census carried out at the beginning of the 20th century, geographer Lorimer counted 4,000 black slaves and 2,000 freed blacks out of a total population of 12,545. The majority came from the trading posts of Zanzibar and the Swahili coast, to populate the cities of Doha and Al Wakra. Blacks would therefore have represented half the total population of Qatar's two main cities! The abolition of slavery was instituted in 1952. Opposition from the masters was so strong that the ruler at the time, Sheikh Ali bin Abdalla Al Thânî, had to offer them financial compensation. Today, former slaves enjoy the status of "Qatari", unlike the descendants of Egyptian or Turkish immigrants who have lived in Qatar for three generations. This intrinsic history of the country is now told in detail at the Msheireb Museum, with a well-documented exhibition on slavery.
The world of work
Qatar has carried out a vast reform of its labor market to improve conditions for immigrant workers, who have been under fire for many years along with their Gulf neighbors, and have been in the spotlight since the launch of the pharaonic projects dedicated to the FIFA 2022 World Cup. First of all, the abolition of kafala: a system which was in force in all the countries of the Persian Gulf, with the exception of Bahrain. Passports confiscated, wages and working hours imposed, dismissal without notice, authorization from the boss to obtain an exit visa... Qatar has been especially criticized because thousands of workers, notably from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, have reportedly died on stadium construction sites. The country, not wanting to tarnish its reputation, decided in 2017 to impose a law regulating the working hours of domestic employees, also decided to create special courts and set up a fund to support the payment of unpaid wages.... But all this remains theoretical. In August 2020, Qatar passed two laws that should allow any worker to be able to leave the country and change jobs without their employer's permission. But according to a report by the NGO Amnesty International published in 2021, these laws are not sufficiently enforced.
