Recently, the allowances for Saudi students studying abroad have been raised by 50 percent, and the number of scholarships offered to Saudi citizens has exceeded 40,000 students. This is a great effort on the part of the Kingdom to encourage students to gain the best education, but for women, the doors of scholarships have led to the appearance of other social problems. It has been alleged that since the recent increase of education scholarships for women, the divorce rates too have subsequently increased, causing a great deal of controversy. Today, Saudi women are finding themselves having to choose between education abroad and a happy marital life. Are the scholarships indeed a reason for the rising divorces? “The idea of gaining a scholarship alone can't be a cause of divorce,” says Ruwaida Al-Harthi, a professor at King Abdulaziz University. She feels that the link between Saudi women studying abroad and the rising divorce rate is “over exaggerated” and says,” The divorce rates are already high, choosing to accept a scholarship can't be a reason to get divorced if the marriage was doing well in other aspects. There are certainly problems in their relationship in the first place; the scholarship may just be an excuse to divorce”. Al-Harthi also mentioned the many responsibilities that Saudi men have to bear, as most of the citizens get married at an early age, which prevents them from pursuing higher education. A lot of these men would not want their wives to be better educated due to various social and personal reasons. Sara, (real name withheld) a Saudi student at the Newcastle University, UK, experienced this matter first hand. “I got married with the condition that I should be allowed to complete my education, especially if I got a scholarship to study abroad,” says Sara. “But surprisingly, when I was offered a scholarship for my Masters, my husband was unwilling to let me go.” Sara is just one of those women who were put in a very difficult position, and given the option to choose between two of her life's most important concerns. Sara ended her marriage, and is now an outstanding student at her university. “I know that breaking a marriage is a big decision, and some might find my excuse not to be reason enough. But as long as the marriage conditions were agreed on, knowing that my education was a priority, I found the disapproval to be an insult to my rights,” she says. The problem in this issue does not completely depend on the fact that women are required to travel and leave their family. Dr.Chamman Rahim, a professor of social science, analyzes this situation, “The cause of this dilemma can be put in three points: First, that marriages nowadays are often not based on understanding and respect. In this case, any sensitive topic, like travelling abroad on scholarships, might lead to imbalance or frustration in the relationship. Second, Saudi society is still coming to terms with granting an empowering role for women. Many men aren't brought up to see their wives as well educated, successful working women, but more as housewives.” “Most men prefer young docile girls and with this kind of prevalent marital environment, traveling abroad for married women is an idea that many are still not used to. Not to forget that a man's ego also plays a role; he might not tolerate the idea if his wife becomes more successful, his male superiority might get affected,” says Dr. Rahim. “Third, well educated women and many who travel abroad experience a sense of independence and their personalities develop into that of strong, independent women who want to play an essential role in expanding and augmenting their Saudi community.” Most of these women don't get married easily, since they are used to receiving respect and being treated at par with men abroad, and so their level of tolerance to any type of ill-treatment is low. Its hard for them to find men who would treat them the way they are used to.” Abdallah, a 25-year-old Saudi citizen says, “ Many of the people I know married women who have studied abroad. Their marriages hardly lasted; it might have been that their demands and mentalities differed.” Saudi students themselves have varying views on the subject. “Choosing to travel abroad on a scholarship might be the right decision if one was under the age of 23,” says Nour, a Saudi student at the Durham University, UK. “Going abroad after marriage is possible, but a lot depends on the marriage. As of now, if I was in such a position at the age of eighteen, then education would be my first priority.” “In a healthy relationship, the husband would definitely be understanding or some kind of arrangement and compromise would take place between a married couple,” says Rayah, a Saudi student at St. Andrews university, UK. While some might choose their marriage over an opportunity to study abroad, Saudi women still feel that a husband's support is essential for a successful life. As Reem, an 18-year-old student at Dar Al-Hekma college declares: “A man should find his own success in his wife's success”. Even though many men still think that education doesn't come before family, Abdullah, 25, stands out. “ I would definitely allow my wife to travel and educate herself, specially after knowing that her education would serve the Saudi and Islamic community.” Even though many unfortunate cases of divorce have taken place regarding this matter, somewhere along the line, the Saudi woman's voice of insistence and motivation arises. “Education is the way to independence for the Saudi woman,” says a Saudi student, Ruwaidah. ”For ages, a women has been forced to stay with the man she married even though she would be treated brutally by him. That was because she had nothing to depend on; she had no source of income or support. Now an educated woman demands respect from her spouse and society, with her record of academic and career achievements.” Today, Saudi Arabia is witnessing a great growth in women's accomplishments, with Saudi women spreading their talents in different fields. As Dr. Rahim says, “Saudi women are growing so fast, that their society is not able to keep up with their growing interests and influence.” Thus, it seems that scholarships aren't the cause of the rising divorces, but the phenomenon is just another repercussion of the rapid growth and changes in Saudi society, which many people are failing to absorb well. With time and familiarity, encouragement and appreciation things are gradually expected to settle down in favor of Saudi women in the future.
