JAKARTA - Lately, the term childfree is often a conversation in the Indonesian social world. Childfree can be interpreted as the choice to live without having children after marriage.
This has happened since influencer Gita Savitri Devi uploaded a story on Instagram explaining her and her husband's decision for Childfree, which of course caused a lot of pros and cons.
If you look at the data released by the world bank, the trend of the birth rate in Indonesia continues to decline, even in 2019 the crude birth rate per 1000 population in Indonesia was at 17.75. population growth. The population growth rate in 2010-2020 shows a 1.25 percent decline from the previous period in 2000-2010 showing a 1.49 percent figure. If you look at the data, there has been a decline in births in Indonesia. This is reinforced by the emergence of the childfree phenomenon, many things that make someone choose chidfree, namely related to psychological problems, economics, and environmental factors, even some people choose childfree for fear of giving birth to children in a world full of violence. However, choosing to be childfree does not mean without risk, in the midst of the conservative society of Indonesia being childfree will get a negative stigma from the surrounding environment, and from the family environment.
Reasons Couples Choose Chidfree
There are several main factors why so many couples choose to be childfree, the first such as not being ready to become parents, economic factors, environmental factors and even physical factors for themselves and their partners.
The author of the book Childfree & Happy, Victoria Tunggono, said that if you want to be a parent, you are not only prepared in terms of material and physical aspects, but you must also have the mental readiness of someone who wants or who is already a parent to serve their children in the future.
"Not only parents must serve, but also must be based on the wishes of each individual."
From her interviews with 14-16 people who decided to be childfree, Victoria revealed there were 5 main reasons they took such an attitude. Namely physical issues (hereditary illness), psychological (readiness/mental problems), economics, the environment (the world is already too crowded), and personal reasons.1. Physical "Physical incapability, for example, he has a hereditary disease or he physically can't have children, can't afford it and yes it is. Because of his physical self or partner's physicality, he is married but he sees that he can't afford it, it's better not to do it than complicated."2. Psychological "So what was psychological was because I have a mental disorder so I didn't want to. I just haven't finished with myself, I already have to have children, in the end it will become toxic and people who choose childfree are aware that they are mentally can't afford it then they choose to be childfree."3. Economics "He feels that during life it is quite lacking and he feels how it feels to have to share one maybe, yes, a plate of rice for 7 brothers and sisters who feel that it is difficult like that with the age of the brothers and sisters being too close, and he feels oh life is hard with lack of money. So there is also a financial factor."4. Environment "So he feels oh life, this world is too crowded, some say it's global warming and so on, and he doesn't want to add to the destruction of nature with one more soul."5. Personal reasons "And the last one is about your own decision, that's what I see from the people around then so it's not hereditary reasons and so on or more principled reasons, but this is just a decision that I don't want to do." childfree in a marriage relationship must be based on a mutual decision. If only one partner chooses to be childfree and the other does not, it will create conflict in the relationship. Many married couples choose to be childfree because they feel weak, both physically and mentally, in terms of taking care of themselves. and raising children. Problems that are present in taking care of children usually arise because of problems with parenting and education patterns. "When someone does not get good parenting from their parents, then they will have problems in the community," said Victoria Tunggono.
BKKBN: Above 90 Percent of Indonesians Want to Have Descendants
Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo denied the concept of child-free or Childfree which has been viral lately is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He thinks that the concept of childfree actually scares prospective new parents.
According to Hasto, Indonesia, which adheres to eastern culture, is far from this child-free concept. The reason, the intention of getting married is to have children.
"Eastern people, we Indonesians are generally procreation to get offspring," said Hasto in an online discussion, Friday, September 3, evening.
Hasto admits, there are indeed some countries that decide to get married because they just want to get peace, peace and protection. Mainly in women.
"But in Indonesia, it's more about procreation. When asked, married Indonesian men tend to want peace or sexual satisfaction or to get offspring? The result is that more than 95 percent want offspring. Women are slightly lower in number but still above 90 percent," explained Hasto. .
"If a woman is asked if she wants to get married, whether it is important to get protection or to have children, she still wants to have children even though they are lower than men. That is our characteristic," he continued.
Hasto also explained that 80 percent of Indonesians are pregnant in their first year of marriage. Meanwhile, 10 percent are not pregnant not because they don't want to get pregnant but because they don't get pregnant.
"Not pregnant, not pregnant, not pregnant, now that's our phenomenon. So I'm not sure that childfree is the effect of the pandemic because our condition is like this," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
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