They claim to do so might cause their older daughters emotional pain and lead to the perception that they are either unattractive or not good enough for marriage.

“We live in a small society where rumors run faster than light, and I don’t think I would allow my younger daughter to wed before my older one, as I fear people might think she is not good enough,” said Nesreen Jameel, a stay at home mother.

“Even if my younger daughter had more people proposing to her, I would reject them all until my older daughter gets married first.”

In a society where gender mixing is restricted in public or closed places, men are not allowed to see women who are not related to them, which does not help in terms of attracting suitable marriage proposals for Saudi girls.

“Men who usually propose to my daughters usually hear about them from their mothers or women relatives, which makes it hard for boys to consider both daughters and they usually go for my younger one,” said Salwa Atallah, another stay at home mother.

“I started taking only my older daughter to women-only social events to make it easier for her to mix with other women and give her some exposure. I will not take my younger daughter out with me to these events until the older one gets married first.”

Not all families have the same point of view. They give their daughters freedom to choose their partners.

“My youngest daughter was the first to get engaged to her classmate in dentistry school. I didn’t object to this even though I have two older daughters who are still single, because I believe that when it’s time for them to get married they will,” said college lecturer Enas Hassan.

“My older daughters might get jealous, but it’s not like I told the man to propose to the younger daughter and leave the older ones! They just have to learn how not to be selfish and only Allah will decide when it’s time for them to get engaged.”

According to social studies specialist Dr. Abla Zamka, this phenomenon only exists in closed and uneducated societies.

“The world has changed and some people find it hard to get rid of old customs and ways inherited from their parents and grandparents,” she said.

“I think that this mentality should change because it’s nonsense and a waste of time. I believe that if a younger daughter is proposed to first, then this is her destiny handed down from Allah and the parents should not refuse.

“We need to educate these people and guide them to do the right thing, because according to recent studies many unmarried women are getting older. No one wants their daughters to end up husbandless and unhappy.”