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ABSTRACT
Background: The aim of this study was to explore how educated Bedouin women perceive the causes and meaning of their marriages to Bedouin men with intellectual disability (ID).
Methods: In-depth semi-structured ethnographic interviews were utilised in data collection from 15 educated Bedouin women who were married to Bedouin men with ID. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then translated into English. Themes were generated using thematic analysis.
Results: Six main reasons are presented: the need for independence; age; family and societal pressures; receiving social protection of the husband or man; destiny; and the desire for children.
Conclusions: The research findings offer an intra-cultural insight into the reasons for marriages from the point of view of the women. These reasons have a cultural and community basis. These results provide a valuable conceptual understanding of the phenomenon of the marriage of educated Bedouin women to Bedouin men with an ID.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank all of the women who participated in this research. The author also would like to thank the three reviewers, for their important comments that have improved the quality of the article.