There is always much debate and controversy over why does a Saudi man have a non-Saudi wife when there are many beautiful and intelligent Saudi women wishing to have a husband. While one wishes to believe the reason a Saudi man has chosen a non-Saudi wife is because they are compatible, share the same values and deeply in love, sometimes there might be other factors influencing his decision too.
If you pose this question to a Saudi woman, she will likely say “He chose a non-Saudi wife because she is cheap.” In talking with Saudi wives and non-Saudi wives it does appear that the non-Saudi wife usually had less of wedding, less of a dowry, less furniture, may have forgone servants and is very self reliant and independent as compared to the Saudi wife.
But on the other hand in speaking with Saudi men who have foreign wives, most have stated they chose their non-Saudi wife for her openness, personality, more common interests and in many cases, because the man desired a “less than traditional” lifestyle. Although yes, there are also some cases where the Saudi man says he purposely looked for a non-Saudi wife citing that the standard dowry today was no less than 50,000 SAR which is very prohibitive for many Saudi men who would like to marry. They simply cannot afford a Saudi wife. Many will also remark that where the Saudi to Saudi marriages are typically arranged, the marriage to a non-Saudi is a love-match and the man welcomes the unconditional love he receives from his non-Saudi wife.
However how does the non-Saudi wife change the image of being “cheap” without compromising her own values? Or is this what the Saudi women like to say as a way towards saving face?
Some earlier posts I’ve written related to this subject are:
https://americanbedu.com/2008/05/14/the-distinctions-of-a-saudi-or-non-saudi-husband/
https://americanbedu.com/2008/01/29/saudi-women-who-wish-to-marry-a-foreigner/
https://americanbedu.com/2008/01/25/mixed-marriages-in-the-kingdom/
https://americanbedu.com/2007/12/02/saudis-and-their-wives/
Update: reading the comments, I thought you may also enjoy reading this interview:
Reflections from a Saudi Man with an American Wife
Filed under: America, culture, gender, islam, relationships, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Women Issues | Tagged: America, culture shock, customs, gender, gender issues, KSA, Love, marriage, Relationship, romance, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, women | 79 Comments »
