Social stratification in the Gulf Cooperation Council States

This study attempts to give the reader an understanding of social stratification in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Using the principal–agent theoretical framework for examining both the socio-economic splintering of society and the internal workings that have shaped various groups within these societies, this study hopes to be a departure from the rentier model for examining the Gulf states. This study will consider various social groups in the GCC as one population with the intent of identifying how they act and react to each other. Examining the socio-economic forces that have shaped the GCC states and the Arabian Peninsula in this framework makes possible a better explanation and understanding of present-day social stratification. The study concludes that social stratification in the Gulf is based on one’s affiliation to the ruling family, first and foremost. This situation creates a number of divides within society, most importantly the division based on nationality. Whether or not one is considered a national of the country one resides in is extremely important in determining one’s place in society and one’s entitlements.