Follow up to Nawal's Post about arranged marriages in Gaza and elsewhere...
Sky High unemployment rates, combined with across the board poverty, closure and made worse by a political showdown label the tiny strip of land known as Gaza these days. Gaza residences are facing a wave of social changes. First there was the social organization setting unwed couples, and now this. With great poverty comes great need to adapt. Young Gazan men are settling for less than what they thought they can score. Bachelors in Gaza now overlook the looks for their potential spouse (Feminists cheer?) and focus on one factor, the future spouse’s employment.
The article interviews Kamal Ammar, a handsome man well in his mid thirties who has failed to find a job despite all his genuine efforts to do so. He finally caved in under family pressure to get hitched to woman that has a paying job. His future wife works for the UNRWA where monthly salaries can reach to $1,000. Ammar says that this is not how he envisioned his future and agrees that his lady is not the prettiest. This guy makes me wonder, where does he get all his confidence from? He’s out of a job, probably out of shape and has hair in all the wrong places and none where it matters. Ouch! But I think Mr. Ammar is a jerk for publicly stating that his future wife is not what he dreamed of (What no more sexy Haifa Wahbi wannabes around?) He also mentioned that people are envious of his catch.
The article also interviews Ruwa, a 27 year old college graduate who states that the first question suitors ask is if she holds a job and once they learn that she does not have a job, they pause and leave the house. Frustrated, Ruwa no longer meets with such suitors and prefers seclusion.
Haleema Asad, an employed young woman who has just gotten married to a Gaza man who only makes $250 a month, but she says “I am married now and we have to spend the rest of our lives together.” Ms. Asad is sure honest, “I do not deny that my beauty is limited, but god did me well be getting me this job that helped me secure a husband.” The article makes it seem that all employed women in Gaza are not the best looking ones, which could be true, because the good looking ones get pursued sooner and bite the dust, in the meantime the average looking ones or the sweet spirits as we used to call them in college, have to get a job to look more attractive as part of the package.
While I take issues with the materialistic look people in Gaza have developed now toward marriages, there might be a good thing out of this where more women will be motivated to seek employments to secure a marriage. Thus, more families wouldn’t mind their daughters going to school and seeking further education. As apparent from this story, tunnels are not the only things are being dug in Gaza.
[Tarboush Tip: Wisam]
1 comments:
Don't you think a guy from America will find the most beautifull wife it does not matter if she has a job or not, for example, if girls find guys like you have good paying job in a country of opportunity will be the luckiest girl in town. Don't you think so?
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