Ada kritik bahwa hak-hak kaum wanita dibatasi di Arab Saudi

Kementerian urusan Sosial Arab Saudi tengah mempertimbangkan untuk mewajibkan kursus pra-pernikahan bagi warganya. Langkah ini diharapkan bisa mengurangi tingkat perceraian yang meningkat, khususnya di kalangan pasangan muda. Berikut laporan Frances Harrison:

Dengar ceritanya

The idea is to force prospective couples to attend courses on the art of married life. Run by charities, classes will look at the legal aspects of marriage, the rights of the husband and wife and their duties to their children, as well as how to deal with both sides' families. It's not explicitly stated whether sex education is included but some believe it's badly needed in a society where any discussion of sex is a taboo.

The hope is marriage classes will reduce Saudi Arabia's rising number of divorces - almost half of which take place in the early years of marriage. Clear figures are hard to come by but one academic has suggested the divorce rate is as high as sixty percent; others say half that figure.

In practice, divorce often hits women hardest because it's almost impossible for a divorced Saudi woman to remarry. One Saudi university study that looked into marriages found about forty percent were unhappy - with aspects of violence, cruelty, neglect and continuous disagreement. Some suggest part of the problem is Saudi men are unable to deal with a female population that's more educated and assertive. Others argue it's simply too easy to obtain a divorce if you're a man.

Frances Harrison, BBC

Dengar kata-katanya

prospective couples
di sini, pria dan wanita yang bersiap-siap menikah

the art of married life
bakat dan ketrampilan yang diperlukan untuk hidup bersama sebagai pasangan suami istri

the legal aspects of
segi hukum, pandangan hukum (tentang sesuatu)

explicitly stated
dinyatakan secara terbuka, secara tersurat

a taboo
topik yang tidak di bicarakan warga dalam suatu masyarakat (misalnya, topik itu dianggap terlalu pribadi)

hard to come by
susah dijangkau, tidak mudah didapat

hits
menimpa, mengenai (dalam artian negatif dan berdampak kuat)

looked into
mengkaji, mempelajari

cruelty
diperlakukan semena-mena, membuat orang menderita

neglect
menelatarkan, tidak memberikan perhatian atau kepdulian yang cukup terhadap sesuatu atau seseorang