Spinsterhood and marriage in Saudi society during the past two decades, 1990-2010

The research dealt with the most important marital patterns in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the reality of the general census data for the years between 1990 AD to 2010 AD, and related data from other sources was used in addition to previous studies. The results showed a delay in age at the first marriage and a decrease in the percentage of currently married adult females and those who had previously been married as well. An increase in the percentage of spinsterhood and in the percentage of widows among females compared to males in the advanced age groups appeared significantly, due to the difference between the sexes in Expected life and age at marriage, where the common pattern remained represented in the marriage of men to females younger than them, in addition to the high rates of remarriage of widowed and divorced males compared to their counterparts among females. The study showed that the divorce rate increased to approximately 25% of the number of married couples, meaning that for every 100 marriages in Saudi Arabia, there are 25 divorce cases.