BKKBN: High Education Level Is One Of The Causes Of Married Age Getting Back

Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) dr Hasto Wardoyo. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Hasto Wardoyo stated that the higher education rate is also one of the causes of backward marriage.

"The richer you get, the higher education and the more you live in urban areas, the closer you are to the median of married age who is getting backward," said Hasto in his statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Monday, March 11.

Hasto also explained, based on the performance report of the Deputy for Prosperous Family and Family Development (KSPK) BKKBN, the median for the first marriage age (MUKP) of women is also increasingly delayed in the 2020-2023 period.

The target of MUKP in 2020 is 21.9 years old, with a realization of 20.7 years of 94.5 percent. Meanwhile, in 2021, the target of MUKP is 22 years, with a realization of 20.71 years of 94.1 percent. Then, in 2022, the target of MUKP is 22 years, while the realization is 21 years of 95.5 percent.

In the span of the three years, the realization of the MUKP has never reached 100 percent, which means that the target of the first married woman according to BKKBN's advice has not been achieved optimally.

However, in 2023, from the target of MUKP 22.1 years, 22.3 years have been achieved, or 100, 90 percent, which means, some women are married for the first time at the age of 22.3 years in 2023, after previously for the last three years the average female marriage age was in 20-21 years.

Hasto also alluded to the significant decline in marriage rates in 2023, hitting a record low in the past decade with only 1.58 million marriages, compared to the peak in 2013 which reached 2.21 million marriages.

"This condition (the declining marriage) affects the demographic bonus, total birth rate or total fertility rate (TFR), population growth rate, middle income trap, and also affects Indonesia's efforts to become four major countries in the world," he said.

For this reason, Hasto emphasized that BKKBN will map out the percentage of marriages that decrease from the age of marriage whose data is in each region in Indonesia, and see which areas the percentage of marriages is getting bigger or decreasing.

Then, BKKBN will see the total birth rate or TFR in each region.

"If the TFR is high in the area, the marriage will decrease, yes we are grateful, meaning that supporting high TFR can decrease, because the population grows in balance, so that the economic burden is also not heavy. But if the TFR is already low, we will try to prevent the number of marriages from falling," he said.

He also emphasized that for the declining median age problem, BKKBN would not implement the same policy, but adjust it to conditions in their respective regions.

"So not one fits for all, not all with the same policy, we will see one by one the provinces," he said.