CAIRO — Before the current session of parliament wraps up in August, Egyptian legislators have the opportunity to make life a little easier for their young fellow citizens who would like to marry and start a family but find doing so economically prohibitive. The parliament's Youth and Sports Committee on Feb. 11 approved a bill drafted by Atta Salim to establish a government-administered fund to provide loans so young couples can afford to marry.

Karam Sabri, 30, a construction worker, told Al-Monitor that his daily wage does not exceed 150 Egyptian pounds ($8.50) and that such a small salary is insufficient to cover the costs involved in getting married. He blames the high cost of living for making his dream of marriage impossible. Sabri supports a marriage fund, in the hope that he can obtain a loan to get an apartment in one of Cairo's suburbs.

To get married, Egyptian men must provide a dowry to the bride's family, a wedding gift of jewelry for his wife and a place to live, in addition to paying part of the bill for furniture. Dowries range from 10,000 to 50,000 pounds ($570-$2,800) depending on the couple's social class.

According to the results of the 2017 general census, published by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), 13.6 million Egyptians 18 years and older have never been married. The gender breakdown is 8.9 million males and 4.7 million females.