ESCAPE BLOG

Securing a spouse in the Middle Eastern states generally involves the male’s parents making a marriage proposal to the female’s parents; a very formal and traditional process that lends nothing to romance or courtship. Sex before marriage is unheard of.

More recently though, technology, dating websites and the more liberal and rebellious attitudes of young people are causing a dating revolution; the taboo sex before marriage is now standard practice amongst a small group of young men and women in the normally conservative UAE.

Head to any shopping centre, café or cinema and, thanks to Bluetooth technology, approaching a potential partner is easy and discrete – they’re all doing it via text, breaking traditions and taking their love lives into their own hands.

For men, approaching a female directly and starting a conversation is regarded as extremely rude – it’s just not the done thing here. Pursuing girls via Bluetooth starts with flirtatious messages and will, for a small number of men, end with sex in a hotel room. This new dating game proves that sex before marriage is possible and what was so completely taboo not so long ago is now an exciting game for many young Arabs. A recent survey showed that one in four young men in Iran had sex before marriage and this number will continue to rise as morals relax and technology advances.

Dating web sites are also popular, promising to help registered, paying users find husbands and wives. The governments though are taking a dim view, with some sites being fined and closed down for ‘promoting prostitution’.

Freedom to explore love and sexuality is stifled but for some radical young adults the dating game is an exciting way to experiment before settling down.