Qahtani, a single Saudi woman in her 30s, rejects all marriage proposals coming her way, drives a car, and is the sole breadwinner for her family of four living in a modest home in Sarat Obeidah. “I swore not to get married in order to continue serving my father, who apart from his old age has suffered a stroke and is now disabled,” Noura says. “I take the car to the market to get things we need for the household, such as water and supplies. I also drive my father, mother and brother to the medical center.” Noura's mother also suffers from a disability while her brother is mentally disabled, and the family, who live in the village of Al-'Irqiyain, survive on what Noura can earn from the family's few sheep. “We have no regular source of income. I haven't got a job and we live in a mud house. I won't get married because I think that taking care of my father and brother is more important than taking care for a husband. Even if I did think about getting married, who would accept me in my current condition?” According to Noura, it would be shameful in the eyes of her tribe if she left her family and got married. “A bedouin woman should represent a symbol of loyalty, patience and endurance,” she says.
