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Marriage? Not now: The rise of 'waithood' in Indonesia
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Free to decide: More Indonesian millennials are choosing to delay their marriage. (Unsplash/Adita Saxena) (Unsplash/Aditya Saxena)
A
n increasing number of Indonesian millennial women are embracing the concept of "waithood" by choosing to delay their marriage.
The term "waithood" was first coined at the end of 2007 by Diane Singerman, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C., in her research on Middle Eastern youth. The phenomenon itself is nothing new, especially in developed countries where education is readily available to girls and women.
"From a sociological perspective, waithood is one of the hallmarks of postmodern society. People are trying to break the old-fashioned way of thinking and revise some of the orders of modernity. They are open to new perspectives, including marriage," said Maflahah, a junior researcher at Sekolah Riset (Research School) in Surakarta.
Individual freedom of choice, as well as opportunities for higher education and self-actualization, make the postponement of marriage more attractive to many women today.
Society is changing its views about women and marriage as well. For example, men like Ferdinand Mubarak, who works as an indoor playground tenant leader, believe that waithood is the absolute right of women.
"In terms of rights, regardless of gender, people should have full control over their bodies, so it's okay if you decide on waithood. There could be internal reasons for women such as productivity, reproduction and financial issues," said the 28-year-old.
Valentina Tifanny Rianto, a corporate banking VP at a multinational bank in South Jakarta, shares a similar view. "There's always more than just a single explanation for every choice. Plus, everyone has their own timing."
