JEDDAH — In light of parents and guardians often preventing their daughters and the young women in their care from getting married for flimsy reasons, many Saudis are calling for the establishment of a government organization that could help facilitate marriages for such women. Though there are no official statistics available, many people feel that there has been a sharp increase in the number of single women in the Kingdom, something they say is worrisome and a danger to society. It is thought the huge number of single women is on account of the high dowries that parents often ask from prospective suitors. Ali Majdou is a Saudi civil servant. He feels that not being able to get married is a social problem. “It affects young women's psychological state and causes insomnia. It's a terrifying problem for society. Fathers should fear Allah and reduce the dowries they demand from the young men who ask for their daughters' hands in marriage,” he said. “Imams and preachers in mosques need to tackle this subject in their Friday sermons and lectures,” he added. Muhammad Abdulhadi, educator, said there are some two million single women in the Kingdom. “This is a serious matter negatively affecting the country's social fabric. In order to get rid of this problem, we need to return to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and reduce the dowries that we ask from prospective suitors,” he said. Saad Falah said not being able to marry is a “terrifying nightmare” for many young women. “It's worrying that this problem is on the increase. I know of some families in which there are lots of young women who are ready to get married but they are unable to do so. They cannot get married because of the high dowries,” he said. “I think the problem lies with the intransigence of the fathers. Dads need to prioritize their daughters' happiness and stability over everything else,” he added. Muhammad Abdulrahman Bin Sulaiman, deputy chief of Al-Aasirah villages in Bani Amr, praised parents who make it easy for young men to marry. “These parents are the thoughtful ones. They don't demand expensive dowries or huge quantities of gold or call for massive wedding parties. The fact is, these demands prevent young men from marrying as many people cannot possibly afford the associated expenses,” he said. Bin Sulaiman said he has approved a document that includes guidelines on how much dowry a person should ask for. “This document is for the Al-Aasirah villages and Udhaidat tribe in Bani Amr, north of Al-Namas. We've placed a SR20,000 cap on dowries for women who have never been married. This sum includes gold for the engagement and marriage. We also recommend a further SR3,000 for the engagement,” he said. “The dowry for a woman who is getting married for a second time is capped at SR15,000. This includes the cost of gold for engagement and marriage. We advise that such women should also be given SR3,000 for her engagement,” he added. Bin Sulaiman said the document has been in force since 2004. “It has had a prominent role in facilitating marriage for young men and achieved its aspired goal in considerably reducing the burden of getting married,” he said. Abdulrahman Saleh, a teacher, praised fathers who demand low dowry for their daughters' marriages. “Being realistic and helping young men to get married ultimately means that one's own daughter will be able to live her life with her husband free from the burden of loans and debts. We need to realize that starting off in life with a debt can negatively affect a marriage,” said Saleh. He also called for awareness programs, especially in light of the increasing number of young people who are finding it difficult to get married.
