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Marriage in the Arab World


Hoda Rashad & Magued Osman & Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi

Sep-2005

Publisher:

population reference bureau

Gallery



Families in the Arab world are undergoing major changes as new patterns of marriage and family formation emerge across the region.1 Universal, early marriage is no longer the standard it once was in Arab countries: The average age at marriage for both men and women is generally rising, and more Arab women are staying single longer or not marrying at all. While these trends are part of a general global phenomenon, they are also introducing new issues into Arab societies—issues that can confront deeply rooted cultural values and raise legal and policy challenges. 

Changing demographic patterns of marriage in the Arab world reflect broader social and economic changes taking place throughout the region. Arab economies have increasingly moved away from an agrarian system, which supported both early marriage and an extended family structure. The majority of the Arab world’s population now lives in cities and is involved in the industrial or service sectors. Arab youth are more educated today compared with previous generations, and young Arab women are more likely to work outside their homes in paying jobs. These changes challenge women’s traditional roles in the household and society as a whole.

Understanding how Arab marriage patterns are changing is now particularly important because Arab countries are seeing unprecedented numbers of young adults entering their 20s, when the great majority of people worldwide marry and start families. Nearly one in every five Egyptians is between ages 20 and 29, and the United Nations projects that the population in this age group will grow by 20 percent between 2005 and 2025, from 13.5 million to 16.3 million. Some other Arab countries will experience even faster growth in this age group. By 2025, the number of Iraqis between ages 20 and 29 is expected to grow by 60 percent, and the number of 20-to-29-year-old Yemenis will jump by more than 80 percent.

Policies related to young adults, women, and families in Arab countries need to take into account the changing marriage patterns and their social and economic implications. This policy brief highlights current trends in marriage patterns of women in the Arab world, emerging policy issues, and links between marriage patterns and other social and demographic trends. 

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Marriage in the Arab World