Number of unmarried Saudi girls rises to One Million
Sunday January 04, 2004 (2243 PST)
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=50565
Recent reports in the Saudi national press have voiced serious concern about a social time bomb. The number of unmarried women in Saudi Arabia is rising at an alarming rate. This is mainly because of social norms that treat any girls above 24 years of age as an old lass for marriage. A girl looking to get a higher education stands at a risk of losing her marriage ability in the eyes of her compatriots, who love to eye very young girls for their wives.
There are now estimated to be about 1 million unmarried women above the age of 24. This number might leap to 4 million in the next five years, fear the Saudi sociologists.
Among others, the reasons contributing to the phenomenon include the absence of mixed social gatherings allowing boys and girls to meet and get to know each other. A grown girl becomes a virtual prisoner within the boundaries of her residence's walls.
Marriages outside one's tribe and relatives, and with any foreigners are considered either a taboo in the society, or are legally restricted and discouraged in the case of foreigners possibly proposing to Saudi girls. Too many inter-family marriages are said to cause blood related diseases in the children born to such pairs. To curb such problems, the Saudi health ministry has recommended a compulsory pre-marriage blood test for all couples intending to tie the nuptial knot.
There is also the problem of excessive dowry demands from the parents or guardians of the bachelor girls, and the total cost of marriage. A new car, a newly furnished house, large wedding receptions, expensive dresses and jewellery, exotic honeymoon destinations, demands for a luxury life style, all together make the prospects of a successful and early marriage a very difficult task for Saudi Young men and women.
End.
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now
