JUBAIL: SULTAN AL-SUGHAIR ARABNEWS

It was unthinkable a mere 15 years ago, but Saudi husbands are now increasingly relying on their wives to provide financial support for life’s necessities.

It is no longer embarrassing and shameful for Saudi men to marry women who are educated and employed because they need help to buy houses, cars and even basics such as food.

Many married men here, particularly those just starting their careers, told Arab News that they cannot manage on their salaries and need assistance from their spouses.

Banks are now offering a new product called “Solidarity” or “Joint” (Tadamon) loans where spouses and family members can get loans together, with each one’s share deducted from their salaries.

Salem Al-Mohammed believes that this system is vital for young people starting out after completing their education.

“A young person makes on average under SR7,000 a month at the beginning of his career, which means it is impossible to buy a house, or even get a loan, unless someone shares the responsibility,” he said.

Al-Mohammed said that many Saudis in the past disapproved of men and women cooperating financially. “However, now we’re forced to do this because of the difficulty in getting houses and other requirements of marital life.”
Nora Abdulkarim, a mother of four, said that the joint loans system has become an integral part of married life. “I believe that men are looking for educated and working wives who can help them face life’s difficulties.”

She said many men today do not earn a lot of money or have houses or apartments. This means that couples must rally together “to secure a decent life for their children.”

A local study has shown that men are looking for wives with jobs because of the high cost of living, which did not happen 15 years ago. It found that Saudis were changing their views on this issue.

Ibrahim Eissa believes that Saudi society is changing, particularly among younger and educated people.

“We cannot deny that society rejected this idea in the past, but it has now become normal, especially with young people unable to save and wanting to fulfill their dream of buying a house.”

“Of course the cooperation is not only needed to buy a house, but pay school fees, house expenses, car installments, utilities and even for a maid.”

“We have to provide training for our youth, both males and females, on how to manage their money to secure their future,” said Eissa.

Abdulaziz Alshaya, a young man, believes that people should be taught from childhood how to manage their finances.
“In the past we looked down on men who received help from their wives, but this has changed because of current circumstances.” He said the change has been brought about by people earning so little, and new views on life held by young people.

“Although I have been working for 10 years, I’ve not been able to save anything. Our family has many expenses and we’re often forced to get into debt to cover our costs. That’s why it’s important to have a partner to provide financial support.”

Hani Al-Ghamdi, a social analyst, said many people are now preoccupied with getting a secondary source of income to meet expenses.

“Society has changed to such an extent that there is now greater pressure on husbands and wives to own a small house rather than live with extended family members like they did in the past. To achieve this goal some men are cooperating with their wives.”

“This was considered shameful 30 years ago, but there have been radical changes today. Both partners have become fully responsible for achieving the main goal, and the old view that designated the husband as the family’s only breadwinner has disappeared,” Al-Ghamdi said.

SOURCE: ARABNEWS