JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Khulud Abdul-Aziz enrolled in a course on manners, fashion and cooking that prepares young women to be good wives, saying she does not want to end up another statistic in Saudi Arabia's rising divorce rate.

''I want to be qualified for marriage in every respect,'' said the 19-year-old university student who is getting married in a few months.

Fahad al-Yahya, a psychiatrist who counsels married couples, estimates at least 30 percent of Saudi first marriages end in divorce.

The course Abdul-Aziz takes at al-Shaqaiq Society in Jiddah is just one of the ways social groups are trying to give marriage a boost.

The divorce rate has alarmed many here, but some argue Saudi men can be part of the problem, unable to deal with a female population that is growing educated and assertive.

Even Saudi newspapers carry stories discussing the issue, citing examples of the trivial incidents that lead to some divorces. A man divorced his wife after he found out she'd owned a camera phone for two years. Another left her because she insisted on waiting at the airport for a flight at the airport that kept getting delayed, instead of returning home.

Some men, experts say, don't know how to cope with educated women.

''The Saudi woman has joined the work force and has become more educated,'' said al-Yahya. ''This has changed their image.''

At a recent class, Abdul-Aziz and 17 other women were asked: What do you want out of married life? Is your goal to find someone to spoil you, or to find a man who will protect you and with whom you can build a family?''

Sara Bawahhal, a 19-year-old who was recently engaged, said: ''This course expands a girl's horizons so she can go into marriage with open eyes.'' AP