85% of Lebanese young women cannot find spouses and many fall in the trap of electronic matrimonial sites

Al Hayat newspaper published a report on married and non-married women in Lebanon.  According to the report which quotes a study undertaken by Radio Holland, some 85% of Lebanese women in the marriage age category are unable to find spouses.  The study was based on statistics and data gathered from NGOs as sources of information.

The report talks about a new trend and that is the proliferation of tens of matrimonial/matchmaking sites on the web and via the social media.  Indeed, Lebanese women and men are now bombarded on a daily basis with advert claiming that they can help find their soul mate.  Such ads claim first that they provide services for free but when a match is about to be done, users are requested to pay fees ranging between 10 to 20 USD.  These sites use the profiles provided by their users as well as the characteristics they give for their desired soul mate.  The characteristics include height, skin color, nationality, color of hair and eyes, educational attainment, financial situation, etc…These sites are also taking into consideration the peculiarities of the Lebanese situation and have included place of residence and sect in their list of desired characteristics!  Many of the users of such sites note that the success rate is very limited as some are simply fraudulent, and people tend to give false information about themselves in addition to difficulties in communication.

The report compares real and virtual matrimonial and match making services.  One match maker said that she receives around 5 women everyday asking her to find them a suitable husband.  Men are more resistant to visit the matchmaker and prefer to send their mothers or sisters to find them a bride that is suitable to the social conditions of the family.  Sociologist Noor Hamadeh notes that whether real or virtual, the services of these matchmakers are but an illusion related to the ideal of finding a suitable partner.  She also cautions against the major fraud undertaken by many of these agencies which make a lot of money by encouraging people to marry.

Source: Al-Hayat 15 May 2014