Shift in attitude towards marriage
The world always used to accept the social norm of people marrying at an early age, but due to changing times, greater access to education, attitude changes and other factors, the number of women getting married late has shot up in the past few generations.
The Arab world, and more particularly Bahrain, has witnessed a shift in women’s attitudes towards early marriage. This is relatively a new phenomenon and slowly becoming a social norm: to marry late to devote their time to build a good career.
DT News conducted a Vox pop, interviewing five Arab women, asking them what they think of this cultural shift and whether they think this is a positive change.
Areej Mohammed, a Bahraini Yoga instructor who graduated from the University of Bahrain, said: “I wouldn’t choose to delay marriage purposely for my career because your career will not provide love. I definitely think the increase in the number of late marriages is very much noticeable, whether it has to do with careers, economic conditions or society. I think, it has to do with the huge demands from society and it is not good.”
“However, I do notice that women are more able to balance those two commitments because of services provided by daycares and nannies for their children. So, there is no need for a huge sacrifice either,” she added.
An Egyptian national, Amna Wael, who is an English Literature and Language student from the University of Bahrain and marketing trainee at the Gulf Diabetes Specialist Centre, opined: “I think early marriage is not a very good idea in general, because it can be an immature age for some men and women as they lack
the sense of responsibility to commit to it and this is the age when most people start their career. So, in most cases, women in Arab countries end up quitting their jobs to stay at home for their husband, who don’t want them to work, and also for their children.”
“Later in life, when they want to work, it becomes difficult for them as they lack the experience. I think, marrying later for the sake of building a career helps women gain the experience they needed to have a successful career and become as efficient as their male peers in society. A lot of women these days, especially in our generation, are starting to realise the importance of building a career and are working at an younger age than earlier they used to be. This is a very positive shift, as the early practice would not work in today’s society.”
Ghaida Ahmed, a Bahraini medical student from Bahrain’s Medical University Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, commented: “Although there is a growing liking for late marriage to prioritise their careers, I don’t think the percentage so high as there is still a significant number of women marrying at a younger age. I do believe that it is a positive development since early marriage often results in making them more independent.”
Bahraini national, Muneera Abdulmajeed, an English Literature and Language graduate as well as part-time tutor from the University of Bahrain, agrees with the new change.
“I completely support this shift because not only does a woman have to think and go through the decision of having a marriage, she also has to gain financial independence and stability so that when she decides to move on and get married, she can share her financial responsibilities with her spouse,” Muneera said.
Fatima Bu Idrees, president of the Bahrain Women’s Union, explained: “There are two types of women in Bahrain: those who want to finish their studies first, find a job and then get married to have financial independence and another who want to get married as soon as they finish high school, thinking it to be the safest way. But, in my opinion, the second category will push divorce cases. I personally prefer learning because it is a weapon in the hands of a woman and after university the woman reaches a level of maturity which will help her pick her partner safely.”
Photo Caption :
Amna Wael , Fatima Bu Idrees , Muna Abdulmajeed and Areej Mohammed
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