Saudi Arabia: Expert proposes creating national marriage platform
State-overseen facility will help curb divorce rates, he says
Cairo: A Saudi expert has proposed setting up a state-run national platform to curb high divorce rates and groom prospective married partners, citing social and economic challenges facing young people in making a happy and stable family life.
Social consultant Talal Al Nashri said there is a significant rise in divorce rates in Saudi Arabia where it reached 168 cases daily in 2022 or seven per hour on average.
Meanwhile, around 10% of Saudi females remain unmarried at reaching the marriageable age of 32, according to the General Authority for Statistics.
"That said, it is important to determine the causes in order to devise the appropriate solutions that should be implemented under the supervision of competent state agencies such as the Ministry of Social Development and the Family Affairs Council," he said, according to Saudi news website Sabq.
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"Young people may be under social pressure to get married to a certain partner or at a particular age. This could induce feelings of anxiety, tensions or fears that such marriage would not work. It may also be difficult to find the suitable partner in view of social and technological developments," Al Nashri argued.
Elaborating on his proposal, he said the envisaged platform, to be set up under the Family Affairs Council, could help the to-be-married people register and guide them by providing a safe and credible outlet for getting to know each other, learning about the marriage partners' preferences, traditions and values, and facilitating knowledge of cultural backgrounds, thus increasing chances for a successful marriage.