Too costly and troublesome for men

Kuwait City: Mohammad Al Muharib, a married 29-year-old naval officer dressed in traditional white Kuwaiti robes, said marriage has become too costly and troublesome for some men.

“Some of my friends just don’t want to get married. It has become far too expensive,” he told Reuters outside the doors of the male wedding party.

“We live in a society where the man bears the costs for almost everything — the house, food, clothes, children, a maid, cars, shopping,” he said, counting off the list on his fingers.

Inside the hotel ballroom, men danced with swords to the beat of traditional drums. The air was heavy with the scent of bakhoor, special incense worth more than its weight in gold.

Some men do not want to be tied down, said his friend Abdul Mohsin Al Barjas, also 29, though he scoffed at that concern.

“I think this idea is just propaganda. I am married and I am free. Us two, we went to Dubai recently, we get to travel.”

Many Kuwaitis still opt for a “traditional” arranged marriage, with a courting period ranging from one week to several months, mainly in the presence of family members.

The groom usually pays a cash dowry to the bride’s family to marry — sometimes amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.