For young Arab Australians, marriage can challenge many of the beliefs they were raised with in their immediate family and the expectations of Australian society at large.
From choosing a life partner to the appropriate age for marriage and the style and dynamic of their married life.
Sam is a 33-year-old Syrian man who has not yet married, despite his professional and financial stability as a sales manager for a company in Melbourne.
Everyone's circumstances are different, and there is no list of accomplishments that must be completed by a specific time. Marriage is not an inevitable milestone that a young man must stop at after graduation and employment.
The decision to take his time with marriage placed Sam in the face of many questions and pressure from family and friends, and he always found himself forced to justify his choice with tactful calmness.
Most of the pressure comes from his family, who use the well-known classics: "We want to celebrate you," "All your friends are married, and you're not..." But we're not in a race, and the winner will be awarded a prize for their excellence.
Credit: Daria Obymaha/Pexels
Australians consider marriage a personal matter and show no curiosity or interest in my life and choices, unlike Arab society.
Zainab Jama is a young lawyer living in Adelaide, where she married Amir at the age of 23.
While this age is acceptable in the Arab world, it is considered too young in Australia, where the average age for marriage is 31 years and four months for men and 30 years and one month for women.
For Zainab, it all began when love entered her heart as soon as she graduated from high school.
Finding the right person early means finding a partner to build a life with and enjoy life together.
During her university studies, Zainab found herself swimming against the tide when it came to the decision to marry and commit.
The priorities of the students around me were professional success first, followed by travel and exploring the world, enjoying life in their twenties, and settling down and getting married in their thirties.
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The main difference is that Australian society views marriage as a personal, individual decision. A decision made by two people and based on love and their compatibility.
She adds, in the Arabic community, marriage establishes families, not individuals.
As for the Arab community in Australia, marriage is viewed as a marriage that establishes two families, not two individuals. Several factors, such as religion, customs, and traditions, are taken into consideration.
The Youth Matters podcast Executive Producer is Maram Ismail, and Hana Yassin produced this episode.
Listen to the Youth Matters podcast on our website and on all your favourite podcast platforms.
