The lack of a stable and happy life at home may be the reason why many Saudi girls choose marriage as a way to escape from their home and hopefully, to a better future. Sensitive by nature, these girls may not be given enough attention at home - especially if they have a number of dominant brothers, or they may have a step-mother who they cannot get along with or their parents are either divorced or separated. In each case, some girls find it difficult to deal with such domestic instability and start believing that getting married will put them out of their misery. Often, the decision of marriage is taken in haste without sufficient regard for social and cultural equality as well as financial stability. The bitter reality of their experience however, can be wholly unexpected for them, causing both remorse and frustration. Manal Khaled is a 20-year-old student at King Abdulaziz University who strongly believed that she would ultimately find happiness in her husband's house after living in an unstable home environment following the divorce of her parents. “I agreed to marry the first man who offered, even though we were not suited to each other as he hadn't completed his education and wasn't earning enough to provide the financial stability I had at my father's house,” she told Saudi Gazette. “After marriage, the disagreements between us got bigger and bigger and I've started regretting my decision to marry him.” Another such rash decision was taken by Hala Omran, a 19-year-old who married an older man to escape her family life. Her father had married four women so he wasn't able to give her any time and she claimed her mother was always too busy to give her any time either. “I did not complete my education and got married to someone 15 years older than me hoping that he would love and understand me, but I was surprised to find that he was far more attached to his mother and family. The problems began and I started feeling sorry about my decision,” she said. Almas Al-Hijn, a supervisor and trainer at the First Training Center and a counselor and member of the Junior Women's Consultative Committee at the Shaqae'q Association told Saudi Gazette that this was a serious and highly dangerous issue, especially if it involved the marriage of young girls to much older men. She advises girls to think deeply before taking such a decision and studying the whole issue carefully. “Problems in your parents' home, however rife, are less severe than the problems one faces in the husband's home,” she remarked. She added that marriage must be based on strong foundations as it is one of the most important aspects of anyone's life. “Any decision in life should be subjected to study, planning and weighing the positives and negatives,” she remarked. “A girl should choose her life partner rationally and the marriage must be preceded by a study of the man's morals and behavior.”
