Childfree Trend Among Women; Sociology Professor Explains
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27 August 2021 19:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The voluntary childlessness or the state of being childfree, has become a popular topic of discussions among Indonesian internet users, which are met with polarizing responses in general internet forums.
Citing Unair News website, Airlangga University (Unair) sociology professor Bagong Suryanto wrote about this trend and said it was understandable for women to opt to not have children, and that it was a new development in society.
“However, I am sure that at a certain point in their lives there will be a yearning have for having their own children,” he wrote. “I am sure childfree tendencies represent a small portion of society. As a personal right that choice is theirs to make and the general public does not need to respond to their decisions too seriously.”
In his piece published at news.unair.ac.id, he recalled that one of the aspects determining a woman’s status and existence was how many children they would give birth to. However, in modern times, he said women's success was not determined by the domestic realm, but rather careers, professional achievements, and other new indicators.
He believed there were two possibilities why many women preferred this life decision of being childfree: The first is the issue of age, which directly relates to their preparedness in raising a child, and their passion to pursue a professional career.
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AMELIA RAHIMA SARI