All through my life, I saw myself as a married woman with a very pleasant and pleased husband and three kids and I'll take care of them.

And often I would think that I would be a housewife because I'm so much into a family and having a family and leading a family life.

That was my dream.

I always dreamt of marriage. I always dreamt of a house and a family and children

and I always dreamt of a very, very special relationship

with my significant other.

I never, ever, in my wildest dreams

that I ever imagined that I could be single.

It didn't cross my mind ever.

I was old enough to know, but I was too naive too.

I was utterly enough to know, but I was too naive too. I was utterly naive.

As women in the Arab world, we grew up believing that marriage is expected of us.

It's a stamp of approval socially, and we're fed this idea that we are going to get married, preferably

young, and it will be this happily ever after. But, of course, it isn't always happily ever

after. And when it isn't, when we get divorced, Arab women get the short end of the stick.

And I don't say that lightly.

It's true both socially and in our legal systems.

So this episode is about that short end of the stick.

I'm Hibba Fisher, and you're listening to Kearning Cultures,

radio documentaries from the Middle East.

And one story that always kind of captures my imagination.

The street's lost culture.

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