Will the high prices change the marriage habits of the Egyptians?

Because of the high prices, it has become a duty for the newlyweds and their families to be gentle and facilitation in marriage to solve the problem of spinsterhood.

Cairo - The repercussions of the continued decline of the Egyptian pound against the dollar have cast a shadow over the costs of marriage, in a country that annually witnesses about one million marriage contracts, after the prices of gold, furniture, electrical tools and marriage requirements rose between 30% and 40%, in addition to housing, which made the majority of families continue to adhere to Egyptian customs and traditions of marriage is a difficult matter in light of this high price.

The newlyweds in Egypt share the costs of marriage, but there is a great difference between the regions, whether in Upper Egypt (in the south of the country) or the Delta (north) or even in the greater capital, which includes the governorates of Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia, about the details of this partnership, its percentage and the share of each party.

The price of a gram of 21 karat gold, the most common in the "bride network", recorded its highest price point in Egypt, after it reached 1100 pounds (59.5 dollars), without workmanship, and the price of furniture increased by more than 30% of all kinds, and the prices of electrical, household and kitchen utensils jumped And other home furnishing necessities for almost the same.

Egypt was forced to devalue the pound last March by 14%, before it continued to decline to 19%, to fall to about 18.75 pounds per dollar from the level of 15.75 pounds; As a result of the repercussions of the Russian war on Ukraine and the disruption of primary and commodity markets and supply chains.

Azhar awareness campaigns

Al-Azhar was aware of this problem at the beginning of 2020, that is, before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in Egypt and the world and the emergence of its economic repercussions, and the Al-Azhar International Center for Electronic Fatwa launched an awareness campaign to confront the high prices of dowries and the costs of marriage, under the title “The Most Blessed Ones”; Revival of the guidance of our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, in this regard.

Since that time, the campaign has not stopped, and Al-Azhar has launched similar campaigns, the most recent of which was the launch of the “Welcome to Marriage” rehabilitation program, by giving lectures in several governorates about raising awareness of the need to confront the phenomenon of high dowries and the costs of marriage.

The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, had called earlier to launch an awareness campaign in this regard; Because this exaggeration destroys the family before it is built, and causes the inability of some young people and families to pay these costs, and thus delays marriage and increases the rates of spinsterhood.

Al-Azhar refuted the view of some families towards the high price of dowries and the high value of the list of movables, as insurance for the girl from the treachery of the husband, explaining that the first of this is the guardian’s interest in some matters that must be considered when marriage, which is the good choice of the husband, so what is the benefit of securing the girl if she gets married From a man without honor and morals, or who does not bear responsibility or honesty.

How have the costs of marriage jumped?

The question now is for millions of Egyptian families, how will they adapt to the increase in the costs of marriage in light of the constant high prices every day, will they give up some of their requirements regarding furnishing the marital nest with a certain number of rooms and economy in the size and number of electrical and household appliances, reducing the value of dowries, and resorting to markets Popular and stay away from big fairs?

Goldsmith George Rizkallah, who owns a gold shop in one of the neighborhoods of Giza, the second largest governorate in the country after Cairo in terms of population with about 9.5 million people, says that "the demand for buying gold is weak, because of the high price of grams of gold, even by young people coming." On marriage, and on some occasions such as Mother's Day and others.

And he explained in his speech to Al Jazeera, that some families resorted to many alternatives to overcome the obstacle of the high cost of the bride's network, such as writing its nominal value in the list of movables and buying a limited amount, or agreeing on money and not the number of fines, or agreeing about choosing lighter weights, especially since the gold ornament is for the bride. It cannot be bypassed.

The same applies to furniture, electrical and household appliances, and others that have been affected by the high prices, which prompted Egyptian families to think of many alternatives, including reducing the number and quantity and siding with the less expensive types while maintaining a minimum quality according to the capabilities of each family, according to dealers and exhibition owners who spoke to Al Jazeera reporter.

The teacher Abu Ahmed al-Suri, who owns an exhibition and a furniture workshop, in a suburb of Giza, said, "The prices of wood of all kinds have increased by more than 30%, and sometimes we do not find the materials we need for manufacturing because of their shortage in the markets, and therefore the price of the bedroom or kitchen increases day by day. day, and now dealing with informing the customer of the new price throughout the manufacturing period.”

He added to Al Jazeera that some prefer ready-made furniture in order to avoid daily increases, and others resort to the lowest-priced and medium-quality wood types such as "counter" wood, and others dispense with one or two rooms or dining room and its accessories, and the furniture is characterized by great flexibility in prices according to the required and physical capabilities.

With regard to household appliances, one of the sellers in one of the famous commercial complexes in Giza said, "The household items that fall on the shoulders of the bride are expensive tools, but some of them prefer local and less expensive household items, and there are those who are keen to buy expensive tools because they are the most high-quality and have the longest life. ".

He pointed out, in his speech to Al Jazeera, that the season of discounts, which is repeated on the most occasions throughout the year; Like Mother's Day, the end of the year, or Black Friday, it is a golden opportunity for those looking to save money and buy other things, and reduce the bill.

Divorce is on the rise

The population of Egypt is 103 million, and the number of females is 48.5 million, meaning that there are 106 males for every 100 females, until the end of last February, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (government) in its report on the occasion of International Women's Day.

The number of marriage contracts in 2021 increased to 948,222 contracts, compared to 2020, when it was 876,015 contracts, an increase of about 12.3%, according to the preliminary data of the Marriage and Divorce Bulletin.

The number of divorce certificates rose to 255,04 in 2021, compared to 2020, when it was 222,036, an increase of about 15%.

When comparing these numbers with the statistics of 2016, before the repercussions of the pound flotation crisis appeared in November of the same year, some numbers seem worrying, as the number of marriage contracts at that time reached 938,000, compared to about 948,000, a slight increase, taking into account The population was less by about 10 million people, and the number of divorce certificates in 2016 was only 198 thousand cases, compared to about 255 thousand cases, an increase of 28.7%.

Treat marriage as a commodity

Al Jazeera correspondent spoke to one of the young men about to get married - named Mustafa - about his plans to complete the project of life, but he stressed that "the project was not completed unfortunately, despite the great agreement between me and my fiancée, and agreement on broad lines such as the net, furniture, household and electrical appliances, curtains, carpets and Najaf." .

He explained that the father of the bride told him of the decision to increase the list of movables and change it, and "requested things that we did not agree on, claiming that the prices had increased a lot and that the current list was not worthy of his daughter, and unfortunately all the family's attempts to change his opinion were in vain, and I had to break off the engagement for this reason.. Prices." increased."

Legacies and habits that lead to imprisonment

As a result of some societal legacies, customs and traditions, some Egyptian families are burdened with the issue of preparing their children, whether young men or women, and some exaggerate spending, which has led to the existence of negative phenomena such as the "phenomena of debtors".

The number of fines is about 30,000, according to local newspapers, representing 30% of the number of female prisoners inside Egyptian prisons. Some mothers issue trust receipts for the remaining money they borrowed in exchange for buying marriage supplies, while others struggle to pay for years.

Marriage turned into an auction

The family and social advisor, Dr. Manal Khader, believes that the crisis is in exaggeration, not in high prices, saying, “The origin in Islam is facilitation in marriage, “the least of them in dowry is the most blessing.” Families with the phrase "the best of righteousness is urgent", and it was the title of Egyptian families.

In her speech to Al Jazeera, she blamed the media, especially the drama that promoted exaggeration and changed the customs and customs of the Egyptians, so palaces, villas, cars and luxury jewelry were issued, and some semi-men calibrated their wives that they were cheap and that her family married her without a price and became one of the means of wasting the wife's dignity at the time of disputes, Families began to impose burdens on the groom and, in return, impose burdens on the bride, and marriage was turned into an auction between Egyptian families.

Khader believed that due to the high prices, it became necessary for the newlyweds and their families to be gentle and facilitation in marriage for young people to solve the problem of spinsterhood and the reluctance of young people to marry due to the outrageous high prices and low incomes, and from “my position as a family counselor, I see that young people have become more mature and realistic and relieved from many burdens and burdens. And fathers and mothers will follow their children.”

In order to confront the phenomenon of high dowries and the costs of marriage, Samia Khader, professor of sociology at Ain Shams University, called for raising awareness among Egyptian families in the countryside and cities about not exaggerating in marriage requests.

In press statements, she criticized the unprecedented exaggeration in Egyptian society in preparing brides, noting that what some families do is not commensurate with their income, so they fall into the trap of borrowing and signing trust receipts that cost them their freedom.

Source : Al Jazeera