Tough Living Standards Force Syrian Youth to Postpone Marriage
(AWP) - Hassan Mohamed, a 25-year-old Syrian man, speaks bitterly about the harsh living standards amid the prolonged economic crisis in his country, saying this situation has deterred him from the idea of marriage and starting a family.
He complains, “Our situation is very difficult. If you want to get married, you will need to consider many things. It is very hard to build a home and start a family under these tough living standards.”
The deteriorating economic situation over the years of conflict in Syria since 2011 has caused marriage costs to rocket, creating difficulty in obtaining a suitable house or providing the expenses required to start a family. Moreover, there are many young people on the battlefields.
Alaa, a single man in his 30s, said the costs of marriage are beyond the capabilities of young people.
He said, “Any young man who is considering marriage would need a house. Even if they rent one, the rents start from 500,000 Syrian liras and can go up to 1.5 million liras. The house would require furniture and equipment that could cost 100 million liras. Even if loans were given, how can young people repay the loans if the income is not enough?”
However, Ramah al-Jumma, another young man, clings to hope for an improvement in circumstances even if the idea of marriage is presently postponed.
He explained, “The idea of getting married is not ruled out in our minds but it is unlikely under the economic conditions we have been experiencing since 2011. It is very hard for anyone wanting to marry to buy a house and spend on a family. It is not a priority anymore.”
According to statistics from judicial sources in Damascus, the number of marriage contracts concluded in Syria has significantly declined over the past decade, decreasing from 20,000 contracts in 2021 to 15,000 in 2022.