JEDDAH, 21 December 2005 — After divorce, women tend to accept the next marriage offer just to escape from social and psychological pressure, Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, reported.

Women are driven by their family to accept the uncertain, even sketchy, terms from the second marriage all because of the view that daughters are burdens that need to be released.

Many times, women find themselves facing yet another difficult marital problem. She is forced to resign to the perception that she has failed two marriages.

Sara S., a 30-year-old school principal, said that she was forced to accept the first man who asked for her hand in marriage, succumbing to the huge pressure coming from her family. Her husband, with two kids, was also coming from a bad marriage. “My family does not believe in single women, especially women at my age,” said Sara.

Huda A., a government worker, said that her family also imposed huge pressure on her after she came from a bad marriage experience that ended in divorce. She said that her mother and sisters pressured her to accept the first man that asked for her hand in marriage.

“I see it everywhere around me. I see it in the way my father looks sad on me. I see it in my mother’s tears. I feel like everyone wants to get rid of me,” said Huda.

She said that she had to accept the first man who came to ask for her hand in marriage just to escape from the family hell.

Al-Jawhara S. married at young age and suffered divorce. Her family also pressured her to accept the first man that asked for her hand.

She was shocked later to discover that he was sterile. Since she did not have babies from her first marriage, she felt cheated and betrayed by her family.

Sometimes the second marriage works in favor of women, as it did for Nuha M. who was tired of her family supervision after she got divorced.

“They were watching every move I made, even counting how many hours I slept. I was banned from going outside as if I was going to do something wrong,” said Nuha. She accepted the first man to ask for her hand in marriage. He was 30 years her senior. Despite that, she said he has a soft heart and she has considered her second marriage a success.