However, this number is gradually increasing. A lack of housing development has forced many of them to live in immigrant settlements called gourbis, which are temporary huts made from any available materials. Some of the more fortunate families live in windowless, flat-roofed buildings. The Tunisian Arab typically live as extended families. Their small homes have sparsely furnished rooms.
Family life is centered on the inner courtyard.
Public baths provide weekly social and sanitary functions in Tunisian towns. In general, they are very friendly people who have a strong sense of family honor. They are quite hospitable to strangers and extremely loyal to family and friends. Most of the Tunisian Arab wear a peculiar mixture of European and Arabian-style clothing. The status of Arab women has changed dramatically in the last twenty years.