Problems Of Childfree Lifestyle Trends

JAKARTA – The lifestyle of not wanting to have children or being child-free is again a hot topic of public discussion. There are various factors why some individuals choose to live without a baby. Among other things, of course, mental readiness and financial readiness.

Many adherents of childfree are worried that they will not be able to carry out their role as good parents when having children. Children who should be able to provide benefits for the family, nation, and religion, will end up causing more trouble. Moreover, if it is not supported by financial certainty.

Deciding to have children certainly requires careful financial preparation. It costs a lot, starting from pregnancy checks, maternity fees, daily expenses ranging from diapers, milk, and basic needs, to education costs.

If that is not fulfilled, will the child be able to grow and develop properly?

There are also those who think the presence of children can interfere with physical form and personal routines, especially for women. Influencer Gita Savitri's joke when responding to praise from social media activists can be proof. Gita said she could look youthful because she didn't have children so she had a lot of time to sleep and money for treatment.

"Yes, it's a burden for me (the child). For you, it's not (but) a gift. It's a burden for me, so I don't want (to have children). And there's nothing wrong with it," said Gita in a live Instagram session on Wednesday evening, February 8, 2023.

The Chairperson of the Family Love Alliance, Rita Soebagio, admitted that from a psychological point of view, there are certainly many factors that cause people to choose childfree. Factors that influence behavior always converge between many factors. Traumatic parenting can have an impact, in addition to other factors such as financial reasons.

It is undeniable that global thinking related to gender equality and feminism which tends to see the family as a patriarchal institution may have greatly influenced the way women think today.

“Women who take the childfree path consider their bodies and lives to be their own. Women are only valued as individuals without having to be bound by other people's rules, be it partners, even religious norms," ​​said Rita to VOI on 19 February 2023.

In fact, because they really don't want to have children, many women eventually decide not to marry.

Impact on the State

The childfree lifestyle also has a serious impact on the country's economy. Look at Japan, the birth rate in 2016 has dropped dramatically to under one million births. This is the first time this has happened since 1899 according to a scientific paper published in October 2018 by Kato Akihiko, professor of political science and economics at Meiji University.

The thoughts of some Japanese people regarding marriage and forming a family have shifted a lot. About 70 percent of Japanese couple respondents, according to Akihito, said that money is the main factor for getting married and having children.

Meanwhile, said Economist at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Dr. Rossanto Dwi Handoyo, life expectancy in Japan reaches 83 to 90 years. Those over the age of 65 live solely on pensions. This is certainly not enough, however, they still need a family who is still of productive age.

So the dependency ratio of unproductive age to productive age is getting higher and higher.

“Residents of productive age, in addition to paying for their lives, must also bear expenses for seniors. Thus the savings will be smaller. Whereas in developed countries, saving is part of the progress of the country," he said as quoted from the Airlangga University website.

If a country's savings are small, automatically the investment will also be small. Causing the ability to increase production capacity, factory capacity, and industrial capacity of the investment funds to be reduced.

In addition, if the population is older, the state expenditure on health will also be greater. The older usually the level of health also decreases.

“The government in this case plays a role in supporting their health. In general, in the long run, this can affect a country's economic growth,” said Rossanto.

China is also known to be experiencing a similar condition. The childfree lifestyle has resulted in many women deciding not to marry and have a family. Various ways to increase the birth rate have been done.

China in 2021 has amended the Population and Family Planning Law. Allowing couples to have three children to weather a demographic crisis that could threaten hopes of increasing affluence.

Statistics in 2020 show 12 million babies were born, but this figure is down 19 percent compared to 2019 which reached 14.6 million people.

Meanwhile, China's population over 60 years has reached 264 million, contributing 18.7 percent of the total population in 2020. At the same time, the working-age population has fallen to 63.3 percent from a total of 70.1 percent per year.

In Indonesia, the impact of the childfree lifestyle has not yet been felt because of the demographic bonus. The results of the 2020 Population Census by BPS show that the productive age population (15-64 years) reaches 70.72 percent of the total population of Indonesia.

However, if this lifestyle continues to survive and develop, it is not impossible that Indonesia will feel the same way as Japan and China.

Family Is The Foundation

Rita assessed that the increasing awareness of millennials and the current generation Z in achieving education and careers has indeed made them not focus on plans to find a partner. Many young people are increasingly individualistic and no longer view the institution of marriage as important.

That is why, religious norms are an important factor in re-establishing marriage and family as important institutions in an individual's journey. Even for those who are not or have not been destined to have a family though.

“Attachment to the family is something that must be maintained. The hope is that by continuing to maintain and maintain affection between families, it will be able to grow the need for the importance of having a family. A harmonious family will be a model for millennial children in viewing marriage and family institutions as institutions that must be preserved," she said.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin also stated that the family has an important role in determining the quality of the nation. Like a building, the family is the foundation and the nation is the building. If the foundation is of good quality, the building will also be strong.

So, according to Rita, "If someone says or research says that marriage and family are the sources of various problems, then this view is clearly at odds with the instructions in the Koran. Precisely God's promise says that being in pairs and marriage will make humans calm and peaceful. Allahu'alam."

“Marrying and having children is indeed a choice. Of course, there are impacts, both positive and negative from the life choices taken. It is positive if the behavior is in accordance with the demands and values ​​of culture, especially religion," said Rita.