Citizens propose financial incentives and reducing mothers’ working hours to reduce the decline in births

Citizens proposed seven main and urgent solutions to address the decline in birth rates among citizens, which included “raising the child allowance to 2,000 dirhams instead of 600 dirhams to match the cost of living, reducing daily working hours for mothers, expanding maternity and paternity leaves, and activating (remote work) on Fridays, in addition to providing direct financial support to families, including supporting the housewife, reducing the costs of marriage and housing, and supporting polygamy.”

They stressed the importance of rapid action to raise the birth rate and increase the number of citizens, appreciating the directives of the wise leadership in support of the family, and calling for a package of economic and social measures, as family and economic stability represents the most important factor in encouraging childbearing and increasing the number of births per family.

Citizens submitted their proposals through the “Emirates Today” platforms, interacting with a report published by the newspaper, a few days ago, entitled “13.55% rate of decline in the number of citizen births over 10 years… and a parliamentary warning against delaying marriage.” The report showed a decline in the number of births from 34,618 births in 2014, to 29,926 births in 2023, which sparked widespread interaction from the public. Citizens submitted many proposals to government agencies concerned with population and family policies.

Citizens unanimously agreed that economic challenges, work pressures, and changing lifestyles have become major factors that limit the expansion of families in having children, calling on the concerned authorities to adopt practical and sustainable solutions that restore balance to the Emirati family. They stressed that raising the child allowance represents one of the most prominent solutions, noting that its stability at 600 dirhams for years is no longer commensurate with the high cost of living.

They emphasized that investing in the family is no less important than investing in the labor market, pointing out that the successful experience of the “Nafis” program in addressing the challenges of Emiratisation can be built upon in this file, saying that the concerned authorities are able, with the same mechanism, to address the challenge of declining births, by providing direct support to mothers for free, similar to the financial support provided to national workers in the private sector within “Nafis.”

In detail, citizens appreciated the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to declare the year 2026 “the Year of the Family,” stressing that this national trend embodies a solid leadership vision that places the family at the heart of development priorities, enhances the cohesion of the societal fabric, and consolidates authentic Emirati values, which reflects positively on the stability of society and the quality of life of current and future generations.

They pointed out that the launch of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, “The National Agenda for Family Growth 2031” comes as a practical translation of the directives of the wise leadership to support and empower the Emirati family, as a basic pillar of sustainable development, as the agenda includes a set of goals by 2031, the most prominent of which is increasing the number of Emirati births, raising the percentage of young people who place marriage and childbearing among their life priorities, in addition to increasing marriage rates. Among citizens, and reducing the average age at marriage, which contributes to building a balanced and prosperous society for future generations.

The citizen (Saud A.) said that prices have risen significantly, while the children’s allowance has remained constant for years, making it unable to cover the child’s most basic needs. Meanwhile, the citizen (Muhammad A.) called for raising the allowance to 2000 dirhams for each child, considering that this will make a direct difference in families’ reproductive decisions.

A number of citizens pointed out that long working hours constitute a fundamental obstacle to forming a large family. Citizen (Saeed A) said that long working hours, in addition to Friday work, limited the ability of families to spend enough time with their children, stressing that technological progress should be reflected in improving the quality of life and not increasing job exhaustion. Citizen (Youssef A) also agreed with him, who said that current work requirements have led many couples to be content with only one or two children.

(Mahmoud A) explained that many people link the decline in births to the high costs of marriage, which is one of the reasons, but it is not the only reason, stressing that the solution lies in a package of practical measures, the most important of which is the expansion of mass weddings, and linking government privileges to marriage to a female citizen, including the marriage fund, housing support, social assistance, and marriage allowance.

He called for supporting polygamy as one of the realistic solutions, in addition to supporting childbearing by providing grants to families with more than six children, and disbursing additional allowances that include a maid’s allowance, a driver’s allowance, and an electricity allowance for families with a larger number of children.

He stressed the importance of honoring women who have given birth, considering that investing in the family is no less important than investing in the labor market. He pointed out that the successful experience of the “Nafis” program in addressing the challenges of nationalization can be built upon in this file. He said, “The relevant authorities are able, with the same mechanism, to address the challenge of declining births, by providing direct support to mothers for free, similar to the financial support provided to national workers in the private sector within (Nafis).”

Citizen (Aisha M.) explained that working women suffer double pressures, noting that returning to work a short period after giving birth constitutes a psychological and physical burden, and affects the decision to have children in the future, pointing out that: “The child needs the presence of the mother, and not spending his entire day with the nanny.”

In a medical and social presentation, Jalal M. said that reality confirms that empowering women and increasing their participation in the labor market is a societal gain, but it has been accompanied by professional pressures and short periods of maternity leave, in addition to high educational costs, which has been reflected in the reproductive decisions of many families who visit clinics on a daily basis.

Other citizens called for supporting the housewife directly, as citizen (Muhammad M.) said that granting a monthly salary to non-working mothers, or providing part-time work and flexible working hours for mothers, will contribute to creating a more stable family environment and encourage an increase in the number of children, while citizen (Ghanem A.) called for the return of the children’s allowance to retirees, stressing that retirement does not mean stopping the ability to have children, but rather that living conditions are the real obstacle.

On the other hand, citizen (Abdul Rahman M.) focused on the importance of strengthening family values ​​and community identity, calling for a return to a simple family lifestyle, and staying away from exaggerating consumer costs, stressing that the concept of “God’s provision” must be translated into realistic behavior in marriage and childbearing decisions.

Citizen (Manna S.) pointed out that providing housing, granting a lucrative allowance for each child, and reducing the costs of marriage are sufficient to bring about a tangible shift in fertility rates within a short period.

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The number of births decreased from 34.6 thousand in 2014 to 29.9 thousand in 2023.

On December 16, Emirates Today published an investigation monitoring the decline in the number of citizen births over 10 years, entitled “13.55% rate of decline in the number of citizen births over 10 years… and a parliamentary warning against delaying marriage.” The report showed a decline in the number of births from 34,618 births in 2014, to 29,926 births in 2023, which sparked a reaction. It was widespread among citizens, as they submitted many proposals directed to government agencies concerned with population and family policies.

The investigation included a report prepared by the Health and Environment Affairs Committee in the Federal National Council, which monitors 12 challenges facing enhancing reproductive rates among citizens, divided into health and societal challenges, while the report identified six recommendations to raise the number of births and increase the fertility rate.

The Health and Environmental Affairs Committee recommended tightening oversight and inspection procedures for all medical reproductive assistance centers, enhancing awareness of the impact of childbearing and raising children on society, encouraging early marriage for men and women, highlighting the risks associated with delaying marriage and childbearing, strengthening government initiatives and programs directed at encouraging and facilitating early marriage for young men and women, in addition to launching an awareness and educational plan, through coordination with health, educational, religious, media, and public benefit institutions.

The health challenges that the committee warned about included negative medical practices, weak oversight and inspection of centers for medical assistance in reproduction, the spread of unhealthy lifestyles that affect fertility rates, the absence of federal government centers specialized in medical assistance in reproduction, the imbalance in the distribution of fertility services between the emirates of the country, the high costs of fertility treatment, in addition to the high rate of malignant diseases, especially breast cancer.

• Proposals to raise the children’s allowance to 2,000 dirhams instead of 600 to match With the cost of living, mothers’ work is reduced.

• Citizens confirmed that the experience of “Nafis” in dealing with “jobs and nationalization” can be built upon to increase the number of births by providing direct support to mothers.

• Others said that empowering women in the labor market is a societal gain, but it was accompanied by professional pressures and short periods of maternity leave, which affected reproductive decisions.