Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Social Norms
Family Values
As different as Driss, Fatima, Rashid and Amina may seem, they all show a profound at-
tachment to family. While they each have ambitions and ideas of their own, their aspira-
tions are tied in some way to family - a much-admired trait in Morocco.
Even major status symbols (like Driss' motor scooter and the satellite TV at Amina's
house) are valued less as prized possessions than as commodities benefiting the family as a
whole. This is beginning to change, as the emerging middle class Driss represents moves
out of large family homes and into smaller apartments in the suburbs, where common prop-
erty is not such a given. But family connections remain paramount in Morocco, and remit-
tances from Moroccans living abroad to family back home represent as much as 20% of
GDP.
Since family is a focal point for Moroccans, expect related questions to come up in the
course of conversation: where is your family? Are you married, and do you have children?
How are they doing? This might seem a little nosy, and a roundabout way of finding out
who you are and what interests you. But to Moroccans, questions about where you work or
what you do in your spare time are odd ice-breakers, since what you do for a living or a
hobby says less about you than what you do for your family.
For a millennia-old civilisation, Morocco looks young. Half the population is under 25, almost a
third is under 15, and less than 5% is over 65.
Education
Next to family, education is the most important indicator of social status in Morocco. Driss
and Amina read and write, like 56% of Morocco's adult population. But even with her col-
lege degree, Amina may find her employment options limited: 40% of Moroccan humanit-
ies graduates were unemployed in 2008.
Rashid's ability to read makes him an exception in rural Morocco - in rural areas, less
than 50% of first-graders complete primary school. This is even lower for girls, and 72% of
rural women cannot read or write. Schooling to age 14 is now officially mandated, and loc-
al initiatives have dramatically improved opportunities for education in the Moroccan
countryside. But for vulnerable rural families like Rashid's, just getting the children fed can
