High cost of gold making getting married difficult

A number of Saudi and expatriate men here say they cannot afford to get married because of the rising cost of gold.
The price of gold has risen by 90 percent over the past two years and now hovers around SR 200 a gram.
A number of bachelors say they cannot afford to give gold as gifts before their marriage as required by their customs.
Dr. Farooq Al-Khateeb, a professor at King Abdul Aziz University, said the high gold price has been caused by a limited quantity of the precious metal on world markets. “However, the high gold price has also contributed to reduced sales on the local market, by as much as 60 percent. Dealers on the Saudi gold market are facing hard times because of the sharp fall in sales. People are unwilling to buy gold,” said Al-Khateeb.
Ali Salh, a Yemeni resident planning to get married, complained bitterly about the high cost of getting married. “The high gold price is increasing marriage costs. Gold is an essential part of a bride’s dowry. In the past, a bride’s dowry was about SR 20,000 or SR 25,000, but now it is over SR 35,000,” said Salh.
There are an estimated four million young unmarried women in the Kingdom, up from 1.4 million in 2010, according to a local newspaper.
Gold forms an essential part of marriage for various expatriate communities in the Kingdom including those from Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea. Many Saudi families also think gold is an important requirement for marriage in spite of the current high prices. Dr. Yassin Al-Jefri, an economist, said marriage costs are rising. “In general, marriage costs in the Kingdom are more expensive than ever before. Many Saudi and expatriate men who are earning limited salaries cannot pay marriage costs. Saudi society must abandon unnecessary marriage requirements such as offering gold gifts before marriage,” he said.
Riyadh Habib, a Syrian resident working as an account manager for a public relations firm, also complained about the expense of getting married. “I paid SR 35,000 as a bride’s dowry including gold of about SR 8,000. I have to pay at least SR 80,000 to get married this year. About five years ago, it cost about SR 65,000 to get married,” said Habib.