Qatar: Are the citizens of the richest country on earth, unhappy?
30.04.2014
17:02
Per capita income at $100,000 per annum
Qatar, an oil-producing country, has escaped poverty that plagued it over a century ago and is considered the planet's richest state with an average per capita income of $100,000.
But are Qatar's people living hapilly in prosperity and have they solved their financial problems? Professor of sociology at the University of Doha, Dr. Kaltham Al Ghanim is answering that question negatively. "The people of this country live in anxiety and impatience. Graduates of universities are stressed because once they graduate they have at least 20 jobs waiting for them and are anxious (!) about which they will choose. Welfare has turned two-thirds of citizens obese, and 40% of marriages in recent years end in divorce".
These are some of the reasons that Qatar resides are unhappy, despite their riches, but the "curse" of wealth does not stop there. The country is currently covered in dust, since it is a vast construction site due to projects that are to welcome the Soccer World Cup in 2022. It is estimated that the constructions have an allocated sum of $200 billion to them already, while the government has been accused many times by the international community of the appalling conditions under which foreign workers operate in sports facilities.
Families in Qatar have lost their unity, denounces 60 year old Umm Khalaf to the BBC, since nannies from the Philippines, Nepal and Indonesia are watching the Qatar children instead of their parents.
It should be noted that the country is dominated by foreign influences, mainly from Saudy Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, at a ratio of one foreigner per local, while government provides citizens with free healthcare, water and electricity, as well as subsidies for housing.
But are Qatar's people living hapilly in prosperity and have they solved their financial problems? Professor of sociology at the University of Doha, Dr. Kaltham Al Ghanim is answering that question negatively. "The people of this country live in anxiety and impatience. Graduates of universities are stressed because once they graduate they have at least 20 jobs waiting for them and are anxious (!) about which they will choose. Welfare has turned two-thirds of citizens obese, and 40% of marriages in recent years end in divorce".
These are some of the reasons that Qatar resides are unhappy, despite their riches, but the "curse" of wealth does not stop there. The country is currently covered in dust, since it is a vast construction site due to projects that are to welcome the Soccer World Cup in 2022. It is estimated that the constructions have an allocated sum of $200 billion to them already, while the government has been accused many times by the international community of the appalling conditions under which foreign workers operate in sports facilities.
Families in Qatar have lost their unity, denounces 60 year old Umm Khalaf to the BBC, since nannies from the Philippines, Nepal and Indonesia are watching the Qatar children instead of their parents.
It should be noted that the country is dominated by foreign influences, mainly from Saudy Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, at a ratio of one foreigner per local, while government provides citizens with free healthcare, water and electricity, as well as subsidies for housing.
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