Kuwait has announced a monthly allowance for all unmarried women above the age of 30 of about KD 560 amounting to Rs29,400. In a new initiative to enhance monetary help and financial security.
The Ministry of Social Affairs will provide eligible women with KD560 per month to enhance their quality of life and provide targeted social assistance.
The scheme will be run on a trial basis at first before the authorities decide whether or not to implement it permanently.
Charitable societies have been given the duty of scrutinising applications under certain agreed-upon procedures and establishing authenticity of official documents, such as confirmation of the death of the father where necessary.
The policy is an effort by the government to respond to financial vulnerability with regards to unmarried women who lack support from their families.
Official data from the Public Authority for Civil Information indicates that close to 40,000 Kuwaiti women over the age of 30 are still not married.
The figures have caused discussion about shifting social trends and economic pressures that affect family formation.
While introducing direct financial aid, the government has also reiterated its broader commitment to welfare policies, and social stability.
In addition to support for unwed women, Kuwait includes a state-supported marriage grant in order to encourage families to be formed.
Kuwaiti men marrying Kuwaiti women are entitled to a facilitation amounting to a total of KD6,000 which will amount about Rs315,000.
Of this sum, KD2,000 is made in the form of a non-repayable gift from the government while another sum of KD4,000 is offered as an interest-free loan.
The loan is paid off in monthly instalments of about KD50 and takes away the financial pressure of newly married couples.
Meanwhile, data available from the Ministry of Justice summarised that a marriage is registered on average every 34 minutes while divorce happens every 75 minutes, thus underlining the changing pattern in families.
The policy has sparked controversy on social media, with some expressing their reactions to the policy and supporting the idea that it may create strong social support for women without financial support.
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