The number of unmarried Saudi women will reach 4 million in the next five years. They are currently more than 1.5 million.

 

These figures have been included in a study conducted by Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Zahrani, head of the department of education at the Islamic University in Madinah.

 

Al-Zahrani. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Usrati (my family) Charity Organization in Madinah.

 

These are not only large figures but they are really frightening.

 

I will not discuss here the causes of why women are unmarried. Among others, these causes include high wedding costs, huge dowries and a large number of Saudi men preferring to marry foreign women.

 

Many of these repetitive causes have vanished. They are no longer excuses used to justify the number of unmarried women. A large number of parents are now keen to see their daughters happily married at their own homes.

In my opinion, the main reasons behind the increasing number of unmarried women in our country are poverty and unemployment, which make many young men hesitant to get married.

 

The young men can benefit from the loans being extended by the Credit and Savings Bank to cover the wedding expenses. Some charitable organizations also provide financial assistance to young men and women about to marry.

 

The marriage costs may not, therefore, be a problem for the young men but what happens after marriage is the issue. How are they going to maintain their small families while they may be destitute and jobless?

 

Other causes include the determination of a number of young women to continue their studies, especially higher education. They want to do their postgraduate studies to get a good job. They will discover that they have spent long years chasing their education and they have crossed the age of matrimony. They will come to realize when it is too late that they have just missed the marriage train.

 

Furthermore, the authorities are keen to employ women rather than men. The employment of “Eve” is important but more important than this is the employment of “Adam” because he is the provider and the element in charge of establishing a family.

 

There is another factor that is not being mentioned though it is highly significant. This is women keeping themselves occupied by establishing friendships with men through telephones and social media.

 

They look for rosy dreams and nice talk on the Internet. They are made to believe that chivalrous knights will come to pick them up on their white horses. Years will pass while they are still waiting for the men of their dreams to come to them.

 

When they wake up from their fancy dreams, these women will find out that they have aged and their chances of marriage have dimmed.

 

The large number of unmarried women, no matter what its reasons may be, has become a phenomenon threatening our society as it encourages deviant behaviors such as harassment, illegal sexual relationships and a number of psychological and social illnesses.

 

The important thing here is the search for real solutions that are easy and applicable to put an end to the phenomenon of the increasing number of unmarried women.

 

In my mind, these solutions begin and end with annihilating joblessness and reducing the high costs of living. It is also important to spread awareness among our young men and women about the significance of marriage. We should teach them that family comes first.

 

All the suggested solutions are aimed at reducing unmarried women, but those who are already in this situation have gone into the oblivion and are being forgotten. But this is another story.