the flipside of this coin

the national has a story citing a 'government report' which makes a lot of interesting points.

"The report, published by the General Authority for Youth and Sport... identifies a host of challenges facing young people, especially men. It says they are less likely than women to enrol in university, more likely to be unemployed, more vulnerable to being killed while driving and more vulnerable to abusing drugs and contracting HIV.

“The high per capita annual income in the UAE [Dh141,700 or US$38,600] means the country’s youth do not suffer the poverty or hunger experienced in other countries,” the report says. “However, we should focus on some of the negative repercussions on the behaviour of youth as a consequence to growing up with wealth and comfort. This includes a rise in obesity and a lack of a sense of self-reliance among youth, especially young men. Independence and self-reliance make citizens contributing members of society.”

"Young Emirati women have especially benefited from their country’s advancement as they now have much greater access to higher education and employment. Women at university, including medical school, outnumber men by almost three to one, and this figure continues to rise. 
"While young women attend university, many men join the armed forces or law enforcement agencies instead, which explains the high level of employment among young men compared with young women."

Ive heard these comments from locals as well as expats. (expats generally crib about how easy the emiratis have it) if government reports too are acknowledging the existence of such a problem, it will hopefully not be long before initiatives are taken address it.