Abstract
This chapter illustrates the complexities of social inclusion and exclusion of migrant workers who had intermarried and were living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research focuses on intermarriages between Filipinos and non-Emirati nationals and examines the utilisation of the social capital gained in the UAE as these migrant workers employ different survival strategies during their periods of long-term residence overseas. The analysis demonstrates that nationality is the main cause behind the displacement of intermarried migrant workers to other countries as they choose paths where the future of their livelihoods and families can be secured. The discussion also illustrates the various consequences of intermarriages between the different nationalities, which can result in inclusion and exclusion in both informal senses but also in formal and public contexts.
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- 1.
The Arab Gulf states are referred to here as countries belonging to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- 2.
In this chapter, ‘immigrant countries’ refer to host countries where migrants are fully able to acquire the nationality of the host country, regardless of their racial, ethnic and religious background, while still retaining their original cultures and languages.
- 3.
Bahrain has claimed to have done away with the kafala system; however, proper enforcement to ensure the rights of foreign workers is lacking.
- 4.
Common alternative terms to ‘intermarriages’ are mixed marriages, international marriages, transnational marriages, cross-cultural marriages and interracial marriages, depending on the context and the individual author’s focus. In this chapter, the term intermarriage means ‘marriages engaged in by two consenting adults from two different nation-states’ (Lumayag 2016: 73), with the aim of emphasising fundamental issues that couples face with regard to citizenship, settlement, social welfare and children’s access to education.
- 5.
This implementation of the Emirates identification card system has stripped full citizenship from thousands of local people and Bidoon who do not have a khulasat al-qaid.
- 6.
The implementation of a so-called genius visa, a visa with longer term of validity of up to 10 years and granted only to highly skilled specialist workers and investors, is currently being developed (Khaleej Times 2018).
- 7.
According to the United Arab Emirates Federal Law No. 17 of 1972, if the husband dies the wife may keep her UAE citizenship. However, if they divorce after three years without children, she is to be stripped of her UAE citizenship. The citizenship awarded to the wife does not include voting rights, the right to run as a candidate in general elections or the right to be appointed to any parliamentary or ministerial position.
- 8.
There has been a strong debate on the gendered nature of the regulation of mixed marriages. With a greater number of female citizens being highly educated, their claim for legal citizenship for children of Emirati mothers has become more vocal. In the light of this, 1117 children of Emirati mothers were naturalised (Salem 2011). An additional 500 children of Emirati mothers were granted citizenship in 2013 (The National 2013).
- 9.
This is according to Article 31(D) of Ministerial Decision No. 360/1997. If accommodation is not provided, the wage minimum is set at AED4000 (approximately US$1090) a month.
- 10.
Some single foreigners may share studio apartments with others of the same sex and become ‘bed spacers’, while others may rent rooms from families living in condominiums together (Damir-Geilsdorf 2016).
- 11.
The legal procedure for marriage in the UAE is complex. First, non-Emiratis can only get married if they possess residence visas. They must then undergo a medical examination before the marriage, and provide their birth certificate, original passport, copies of their visas and marital status certificates, among several other documents. The process becomes even more complicated if the bride and groom are from different religions or nationalities. Expatriates and migrant workers can marry in a church if they are both Christians; if they belong to different religions, though, they may be not able to marry in the UAE. Muslim couples can marry at sharia courts. Embassies also conduct civil weddings—some countries will solemnise marriages for couples where either the bride or the groom has citizenship of that country (such as Norway, Poland, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Britain and India) while others will only solemnise marriages where both the bride and groom possess that country’s citizenship (such as the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Mexico and the Philippines) (Hilotin 2013).
- 12.
Interview with Jose V. Jacob, consul general at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi, March 2010.
- 13.
- 14.
Up until 1997, nearly 5000 Arabs became naturalised Emiratis, including many Yemeni and Palestinian nationals (Jamal 2017).
- 15.
However, the Philippine government enacted the Republic Act 9225 in 2003, admitting natural-born Filipinos who lost their citizenship when they naturalised as citizens in other countries to reclaim their Philippine nationality. Therefore, it is possible that Sarina might have followed the new law and acquired dual citizenship.
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Watanabe, A. (2019). The Complexities of Social Inclusion and Exclusion Among Intermarried Filipino Migrant Workers in the United Arab Emirates. In: Lian, K., Hosoda, N., Ishii, M. (eds) International Labour Migration in the Middle East and Asia. Asia in Transition, vol 8. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6899-8_4
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