KUWAIT CITY, Feb 6: Will withdrawing citizenship under Article 8 truly shift the balance of marriage dynamics in Kuwaiti society in favor of marriages to Kuwaiti women? According to the latest statistics from the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), the number of unmarried Kuwaiti women over the age of 29 has reached 67,794, representing 25 percent of the population. The number of married Kuwaiti women as of the end of December 2024 was 267,014.

There are 30,292 Kuwaiti men married to non-Kuwaiti women, compared to 19,530 Kuwaiti women married to foreigners from all six continents. Most of the Kuwaiti women who are married to foreigners are married to Arab nationals, totaling 18,006, while 692 are married to non-Arab Asian nationals, 50 to non-Arab African nationals, 271 to Europeans, 407 to North Americans, 65 to South Americans, and 39 to Australians. The total number of Kuwaiti women married to Kuwaiti men is 247,484.

In this context, women’s rights activist and former secretary of the Kuwait Transparency Society Manal Al-Kandari stated in an interview that withdrawing citizenship under Article 8 will make Kuwaiti men think twice about marrying non-Kuwaiti women, especially considering the several privileges that are automatically revoked from those whose citizenship is withdrawn. She stressed that the high cost of marriage to Kuwaiti women often leads young Kuwaiti men to marry non-Kuwaitis, such that the number of such marriages has reached more than 30,000.

Al-Kandari highlighted that factors such as the currency difference between the Kuwaiti dinar and other currencies play a role in reducing the overall cost of marrying a non-Kuwaiti. She expressed regret over the extravagant spending in some marriage cases, as well as the exaggerated conditions set by certain families for their daughters’ marriages. Al-Kandari insisted that a pause for reflection is necessary, considering the high rate of unmarried Kuwaiti women and the increasing number of Kuwaiti women married to foreigners.

Meanwhile, women’s rights activist Lawyer Sheikha Al-Julaibi said, “Marriage is fate and destiny”. She indicated that the issue of withdrawing citizenship under Article 8 is not the main factor that could influence a Kuwaiti man’s decision to marry a Kuwaiti woman over a foreigner.
Lawyer Al-Julaibi explained that the main conditions that encourage a Kuwaiti man to marry a Kuwaiti woman include the various benefits provided by the state to those who marry a Kuwaiti woman such as an increase in the marriage loan, housing priority, and other privileges that are aimed to motivate Kuwaiti youth to marry within the community.

In addition, Professor of Family Psychology Dr. Ahmed Salama explained that the decision to withdraw citizenship under Article 8 will inevitably reduce the number of marriages between Kuwaiti citizens and non-Kuwaitis. This is particularly significant given that there were 67,794 unmarried Kuwaiti women over the age of 29 as of the end of last year. More than 30,000 Kuwaitis have married foreigners, but with the implementation of the decisions, the marriage rate between citizens and foreigners is expected to decline. This is especially true since many foreigners sought to marry Kuwaitis to obtain citizenship. At the same time, reducing marriages between citizens and foreigners could benefit Kuwaiti women, as the reluctance of some Kuwaiti youth to marry within their community has led a significant number of Kuwaiti women to seek marriage with foreigners, especially from Arab countries.

Some have even been compelled to marry people from all six continents, as indicated by PACI statistics. Dr. Salama indicated that many citizens marry non-Kuwaitis due to the high demands for dowries and exaggerated marriage requirements. He urged Kuwaiti families to adopt a more moderate approach in these matters, especially considering that the state supports Kuwaiti families after marriage through housing assistance and employment for both the husband and wife. Dr. Salama acknowledged that some marriages between Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis have been successful and stable, but a high number of such marriages have failed because they were based primarily on material interests. He cited the example of many women who divorce after obtaining citizenship as evidence of this trend.

By Najeh Bilal
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff