2018 Amid downtrend, 55 marriages a day

MUSCAT, MAY 15 - The number of registered marriages in the Sultanate has decreased from 22,284 in 2017 to 20,000 in 2018 — a fall by 2,284 cases. This means that from 61 marriages a day in 2017, they fell to just 55 in 2018. According to a report from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), North Al Batinah Governorate registered the highest number of marriage documents, while Al Seeb witnessed the highest number of marriages. “January is the luckiest month of the year with the biggest number of marriages taking place,” said the report. While opinions on the fall in marriages vary from higher dowry demands and rising wedding costs, many youngsters pointed out that the biggest dilemma of job seeking in Oman is the first obstacle to getting married. Those who already have jobs say that they delay the marriages as part of their plan to save enough money before entering into a wedlock. Nasser al Harrasi, a 26-year-old job-seeker, said that although he graduated some years back, his efforts to find a job did not bear fruits.“Nobody will agree to marry a man who is not employed. Job is the future guarantee for a good living,” he commented. “I believe that the future will witness a big decrease in the number of marriages for the same reason. The delay in getting a proper job will lead youth to delay marriage,” he said. For Marwan, who is employed, the matter is not about money. He chose not to tie the knot because he doesn’t want to bear the burden of responsibility so quick. Plus, he thinks that the expenses are too much and he plans to save more money before he gets married. NCSI released the statistics on the occasion of the International Day for Families celebrated on May 15 every year. The International Day for Families provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting them. In many countries, this day is an opportunity to highlight different areas of interest and importance to families. This year’s theme for the International Day for Families is ‘Families and Climate Action’ which focuses on improving education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.