We are well aware of the large number of divorces and unmarried women in the country. The continuous increase in both is not doing us any good. Unless officials try to find reasonable solutions to reduce the number of divorces and unmarried women, the damages will be worse. And because divorces are very complex and are always related to certain sets of circumstances, I will discuss them in some other article. My main focus today is the problem of women who are not married and have never married.
The problem of girls not marrying is growing worse by the minute and it is mainly for financial reasons. The younger generation of men simply can’t satisfy the huge demands or meet the financial obligations that have become the norm for people wanting to marry. Other factors such as unemployment and low incomes in comparison to the expensive lifestyles these days have contributed to the fact that marriage has become a real burden for most young men. If a man has an SR2,000 monthly income — that’s if he’s being well paid — he would need 10 years of saving before he is ready to get married according to society’s standard behavior and expectations. However, very few men are able to afford marriage today. So, what’s the solution?
I would like to mention the existence of a fund that claims to support and help young men who want to marry. I think it is just a useless fund that lends a few riyals and requires providing certified and verified documents — which is a hassle when compared to the small amounts of money given. The people responsible for the fund haven’t grasped the reality of what’s happening.
I am not going to discuss the huge number of complaints I have received criticizing the fund and its strategies. All I want to say is that if I were responsible for this fund to support marriages, I would have found other ways to help men and women get married besides lending them money. This problem is not the responsibility of one group only; there are many parties involved which should work to provide the community with easier and more flexible solutions on all levels. The safety and security of the community does not have one angle only; neglecting any problem will always lead to social difficulties and problems. And the increasing number of divorces and unmarried women is about to explode — but who really cares?
