Gender and changing generational relations: spouse choice in Indonesia

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Anthropology

Background:

• Asian societies are undergoing complex nuptiality transitions impacting family organization.
• Standard studies on female age at marriage often fail to capture the full complexity of these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine spouse choice patterns for men and women in central Java.
• To analyze changes in parental control over mate selection over time.
• To identify determinants of spouse choice, including family class, education, premarital work, and residence.

Main Methods:

• Multinomial logit model analysis.
• Examination of gender differences in mate selection.
• Investigation of historical and institutional factors in Javanese society.

Main Results:

• Determinants of spouse selection significantly differ by gender.
• A notable shift towards self-choice marriages is occurring.
• This shift happens within the context of Javanese historical and institutional factors.

Conclusions:

• The Javanese marriage transition reflects underlying gender and generational hierarchies.
• Mate selection is increasingly individualized but still shaped by societal context.
• Understanding nuptiality requires considering cultural specifics beyond simple age at marriage.