Aliyah Al-Duais Okaz/Saudi Gazette MADINAH — Divorces among Saudi couples studying abroad are becoming increasingly commonplace, student sources said. Some students believe that the young men and women of today have become irresponsible while others say they are not ready yet for such commitment at a young age. A divorced young woman, who spoke anonymously, said sometimes the difficulty to adapt to a foreign culture and different lifestyle might lead to divorce. She got married right after she finished her high school, then traveled with her husband who had already started his English program in the United States. When she arrived in the United States, she suffered a lot because she could not adapt to the American lifestyle quickly. She could not do the house chores on her own and asked her husband to hire a housemaid but he refused because he could not afford it. Her husband used to spend the entire day at school and by the time he would return at around 5 p.m., he was already exhausted. He would stay with her for a short time then he would sleep early. She could not put up with this lifestyle and decided to return home. Once she was in the Kingdom, she told her husband that she could not adapt to living in the US and she would visit him every now and then while he was there studying. He refused this arrangement and a month later he divorced her. Another divorced young woman said she and her husband traveled together to America for study. Before their marriage, they had been engaged for three years. Five months later, her husband divorced her in the United States because he believed she was too jealous of her husband's friends, the majority of whom were women. She claimed he would go out with them and leave her behind on weekends. He did not care about her and he would not take her with him for the weekend outings, she said. One day, he told her that he rushed into the marriage and he wanted a divorce. Maha Shira said she lived seven years with her husband in the United States and Canada where they were studying. She believes the culture shock is to be blamed for many divorces among Saudi married couples. They have to adapt to a different lifestyle, new country and new language. If both husband and wife are in college, they would find it difficult to hire a housemaid because it is expensive to do so abroad, costing as much as $15 an hour. Shahla Khatat said these divorces happen because many students rush into marriage to leave their country and finish their education. Marriage is not their primary goal, she said, adding that is why these marriages fall apart fast when the couple moves abroad to study.
