12 Dec 2007,
Diane Singerman
Download
(PDF, 449 KB)
The Middle East today
is a very youthful region, due to the consequences of the demographic
transition. As mortality declined and life spans rose, youthful cohorts are now
marrying later in life. Delayed marriage has become the norm, particularly for
men who may not marry until their late twenties or thirties. The political and
economic context of delayed marriage is causing debate and controversy in the
Muslim world, since early and universal marriage had been the norm and
sexuality had been linked to marriage.
The
consequences and meaning of the youth bulge in the region, however, can only be
fully comprehended if we examine the political economy of youth through the
lens of the “marriage imperative.” It is not only the demographic transition,
the greater participation of women in the labor force and education, changing
gender norms, or globalization which has delayed marriage.
The
financial costs surrounding marriage (housing, dower, jewelry, celebrations,
furniture and furnishings) themselves may be the source of delayed marriage as
young people and their families wait years before they can accumulate the
massive sums needed to marry. Through statistical, economic, political, and
anthropological data, this paper first highlights the financial pressures that
marriage places on young people and their families. The paper argues that we
must conceptualize the political economy of youth through the lens of the
“marriage imperative” because the financial investment in marriage takes years
to accumulate and influences other key transitions of adolescence, including
schooling, employment, education, and identity formation.