The Embassy of the State of Kuwait

The family unit is the most important thing in Kuwaiti society. Arab names themselves contain a sort of genealogy. After the birth of a child, the parents are often referred to by derivatives of the child's name: Abu Khalid is the "father of Khalid", and Umm-Bader is the "mother of Bader".

The Kuwaiti family is generally very closed and private. It consists of a closely-knit extended family circle, some of whose members may be only distantly related. It is not unheard of for cousins to marry, and in fact it used to be the norm. Thus the family is a cohesive institution with individuals helping out with the different tasks within, supporting each other, rallying around in times of difficulty, and often pooling resources for business ventures or to overcome hardship. Kuwaitis love children.

The traditional average family size is around ten. Males carry more prestige than females. Members of the older generation are accorded much respect and appreciated for their wisdom, for they represent an era lost to the present generation.