The Marriage Revolution in Indonesia

Terence H. Hull, Australian National University

Over the last century Indonesia has experienced rapid change in patterns of family formation. Marriages are more likely to be based on the decisions of the couple rather than their families, and is contracted at later ages than ever before. Divorce and widowhood have declined and the experience of singlehood is taking up an increasing proportion of young women's lives. In this paper the changing patterns of marital status are examined through the application of novel methods to calculate marital status indices. Data are drawn from the decennial censuses between 1961 and 2000. Geographical variations and urban rural differences are highlighted, as is the influence of changing patterns of education and occupation over the last forty years. Of particular interest is the growing class of 'never to be married' women in Jakarta and other major cities. The paper concludes with speculation about future patterns of family formation, and likely influences on long term fertility trends.