In recent years, Indonesians have been busy discussing a new culture they have heard of. The culture is child-free. This issue surfaced because it began with a statement from an Indonesian influencer named Gita Savitri. She stated that she chose to live her married life without children or childfree. She also said that childfree would make her look younger. But what exactly is child-free? Is this a lifestyle that has only existed in the last few years?
According to Ramdani & Kurniawan (2023), childfree is a life choice of a married couple not to have children during their lives, whether biological, step, or adopted. Childfree wants to ensure that women who choose not to have children will not feel left behind or feel wrong in making decisions. Childfree highly prioritises human freedom in life. People who practice childfree do not consider their lifestyle a problem and are very rational in implementing it. The word Childfree began to be heard and spread in the early 1970s, especially in Northwest Europe. So, this term can be classified as new in human civilization. But the practice was already going on during the Renaissance, about 15-20 percent of women, especially women living in cities, decide not to have children for the rest of their lives. So, we can conclude that childfree is not a new culture, the term is indeed new in Indonesian society. However, this lifestyle practice has been implemented since the Renaissance
However, the big culture in the West does not seem to fit the lifestyle of society in Indonesia. Indonesian society that is very close to the culture of "many children, many fortunes" will feel that the child-free culture is unreasonable to implement. However, many Indonesian people, especially the current generation, actually agree with the child-free culture. The difference in views is what causes debate in society.
1. Psychology Perspective
Based on research data (Rindu Fajar Islamy et al., 2022), 121 respondents were the samples in this study. The 121 people consisted of 76 women and 45 men. 89.3% of respondents were aged 18-25, while 11.7% were under 18 or over 25 years. The data shows that 58.7% of respondents disagreed with the childfree lifestyle, while 41.3% agreed with the childfree lifestyle. This indicates that Indonesian society still seems to follow traditional culture, which believes children are part of marriage. However, the development of the era and the effects of globalisation seem to influence significantly the mindset of Indonesian people, especially Generation Z, in filtering and implementing a Westernised lifestyle.
Childfree appears to be very difficult to accept for the majority of people in Indonesia, apart from the data above, which shows that the majority of Indonesian people reject childfree, culturally and socially; childfree will also be considered different and inappropriate. In Indonesia, children are an essential part of the family and are even awaited in a marriage. It feels like something is missing if a marriage does not have a child in it. That is the picture of Indonesia's culture and lifestyle, and most people still agree with and adhere to this lifestyle. Children are also important in life because a child will continue the lineage continuously. Imagine if everyone in the world adopted a child-free lifestyle; life in the world would not last long.
The presence of childfree through social media has indeed been proven to impact the mindset of Gen Z. Gen Z who are more open to issues and problems will not reject the childfree lifestyle outright. Not a few Gen Z are also pro this lifestyle. They feel that it is a human right and is considered a wise choice considering the difficulty of taking care of children and economic problems. Childfree is also legally permitted in Indonesia; Law Number 52 of 2009, article 1, paragraph 6 states, "The family is the smallest unit in society consisting of husband and wife, or husband, wife and child, or father and child, or mother and child". The law states that a husband and wife without children are also considered a family.
In conclusion, although this issue is a debate in society and is divided into two camps between pros and cons. Most Indonesians still reject the existence of a child-free lifestyle and are reluctant to apply it in family life. However, if you really want to adopt this lifestyle, it will not be a problem because it is part of Indonesia's rights and is also protected by law.
2. Society Perspective
It divided into four aspects such as positive & negative impacts, psychological theories, and effects on mental health
a. Positive Impacts
- Independence: Independence has a significant positive impact on childfree. Without the responsibility of being a parent, individuals will easily make their own decisions, develop their identity and determine where their lives will go.
- Self-development: Self-development is a positive impact of childfree that allows individuals to focus on education, career, and personal development in terms of skills and knowledge, and will also increase self-awareness and self-esteem.
- Relationship quality: Childfree can improve the quality of relationships with partners because we will have more time to communicate, share and then can reduce stress and pressure and increase trust in each other.
- Freedom: Freedom is a positive impact of childfree that allows individuals to use time for hobbies and interests, travel, and make decisions without considering the needs of children
- Financial ability: Childfree can improve financial ability because it will reduce the cost of living, increase savings and investments and allocate resources for personal needs
