Some 44% of young Saudis prefer to marry cousins
Saudi Arabia, Culture, 4/16/1999

Around 44% of young Saudi men prefer marrying close relatives like cousins, despite the fast changing social conditions in the kingdom. At least 45 percent of fathers and 58 percent of mothers are of the view that their sons will be married to girls belonging to their families.

These facts were revealed in a study carried out by Dr. Ibrahim al-Obeidi, head of the Social Studies department of Riyadh's King Saud University, the London-based daily al-Sharq al-Awsat reported.

The study, entitled, "Marriage of relatives in the Saudi society: the reality and the directives," focused on the trends and tendencies in the cases of marriage prevailing in the Saudi society. It was revealed in the study that the tendency to marry close relatives like daughters of paternal uncles, maternal uncles, paternal aunts and maternal aunts is still predominant among young men in Saudi society.

The study showed that most young men whose fathers married relatives prefer girls from outside their families and vice versa. It was also revealed that education plays a significant role in changing the attitude of young men with regard to marriage.

Most young Saudi graduates prefer marriage outside their family whereas those who received professional educations prefer marrying relatives, the paper said.

Previous Stories:
  Angry Saudi wife sues viagra distributor   (4/6/1999)
  Faisal's international prize to be awarded today   (3/2/1999)
  Saudi Arabia continues celebration of its centenary anniversary   (1/28/1999)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search