[align=left]+Dowry
In Islamic traditions, the bridegroom bears all financial burdens. In Yemen dowries demanded by most families can reach million of riyals. Since marriage in Yemen is mainly a family affair, the family of the bridegroom helps its son with the required money. High dowries lead to increasing the marriage age. Young people now study and embark on a career before getting married. So marriage age in Yemen now is about 27 years. A young man graduates from secondary school at 18 years of age, spends two years in the army, a minimum of four years at university and may be two years at work to save money.
Inter-tribal marriages are more costly than those within one tribe or one family. This is usually due to the fact that individual tribes are very proud of their lineage, so they demand a high dowry to give their daughters a high status. They also wish to appear quite proud in the eyes of the rest of society.
Marriage is often considered a show of riches when families have the chance to display their material wealth by holding lavish banquets and wedding parties.
In view of the rising cost of living, the state should try to raise people's awareness of the importance of a solid nucleus family for the overall stability of society.
[/center]
