[noor]

Contrary to what people believe divorce rates are high in the middle east. In the UAE for instance the divorce rates are pretty high especially for newly married couples. Divorce is not seen as a taboo. UAE nationals(men) spend a huge amount of money when they marry. The government also assists them financially. Then if there's a divorce, especially if there are children, the husband has to support them in every way. The ex wife can file a case if the ex husband is not fulfilling his financial responsibilities. UAE women are very difficult to live with as they make high financial demands. That's why many UAE men are marrying from other arab countries(excluding gulf countries), India, Phillipines,Eastern Europe etc as women from other countries are less demanding.

Marriage is not just for today. We should see it as a life long commitment and do the best to keep it going. Ofcourse if there are major problems it's best to part ways.

Why do we marry?

Men and Women complement each other. Each is incomplete without the the other. That's why the term your better half. We make sacrifices for each other because we love each other. My fiance and I both make sacrifices for each other because we love each other. We are from different cultures, he's egyptian and I am an indian. It takes a lot more effort to keep the relationship going.

[Miya]

Noor you certainly have more experience in the area than I but I simply based my comments on my (granted probably skewed) experience from gf's and other friends from some of those areas. I've friends in SA, Jordan, Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan who have always told me that divorce is something not looked favorably upon in the areas they live in. (though in the cities they said it was more common and less taboo).

Just my experience.

My DH is American and I'm Japanese (though I grew up in many countries (including the ME because my father worked for the government and was always assigned for a year or two here and there so we moved.) Having even this kind of cultural difference definitely requires work in the marriage but brings lot of good things with the new experiences that would otherwise be lost in intracultural marriages.

Just another though but a really close friend ours is also an American and his wife is from Mumbai and even she says Indian women are demanding financially and divorce is not see as a good thing at all there.

[noor]

Definitely, in India divorce is seen as a taboo even among the highly educated. A divorced woman or a widow in India can only marry a divorcee or a widower which is very difficult compared to a man. Family plays a major role in this as they don't want sons marrying a divorcee.

My grandmother had to endure so much when she married an unmarried man 18 years younger than her after her husband died.

Some Indian women might be financially demanding but you should see the emarati women and women from other gulf countries. No one can compete them in over spending.

[WildChild]

Change is tough. But increasingly we have the option of creating the relationships we want, finding what works for us; on our own or with another. The reasons for locking into the old paradigm of marriage have changed but people and societies are all over the board with this, we have some new expectations, mixed in with the old expectations and they don’t always blend well together, we have conflicting expectations and roles. It’s going to take some time to sort out. There are men wanting to have the advantages of close interaction and sex with women without accepting responsibilities. We have women who want sexual and economic freedom but also seeking to avoid the responsibilities that come with it.

[WildChild]

Some Indian women might be financially demanding but you should see the emarati women and women from other gulf countries. No one can compete them in over spending.

I've known many of these women and they are often quite open, at least with some other women. They will state that they work at keeping their husbands near broke so the man won't think he can afford more wives. Pathethic? yes. But who created this system wherein women are simply sexual property?