A Jordanian woman in a low-cut shirt shares a love seat with a man with slicked-back hair; the two lean in close, talking quietly and laughing.
This is the scene of the new, trendy Middle East, where for a small group sex before marriage is possible. While fundamentalists tend to grab most of the headlines, throughout the region a growing number of young people are breaking with tradition. Dating and sex are no longer so taboo. In Iran, for example, a recent government survey showed that one in four men between the ages of 19 and 29 had sex before marriage.
In the last five years, Damascus has seen a proliferation of nightclubs that are still hopping until the early hours of the morning. To be sure, the core cultural concerns about dating and sex remain. The two Jordanian somethings said that a few years ago there were only one or two places where they could go to get a drink and meet girls. Now there are more choices than they can list. Still, he thinks even this may change. Beginning with the oil boom in the s, many Arab families became increasingly fragmented as people moved to the Gulf for lucrative jobs.
Today the trend continues, as people move to cities or abroad for work. Away from the gaze of their families, many young people begin to push the romantic boundaries. In addition, women are entering the workforce in greater numbers here, creating more opportunities for gender-mixing.
In Jordan, the number of female workers has more than doubled in recent decades, from 6. Meanwhile, technology has made it easier for young people to connect. The Internet and cell phones have provided young people with the means to privately communicate. All the while, western media has flooded the Middle East, exposing people to more liberal lifestyles.
