Repositioning Masculinity to Realize Gender Equality in Child
Marriage Families
Ali Imron
1 a
, Tarissa Aditya Berlin Sunyoto
1 b
, Ardha Wildan Zulfa
1 c
,
Dhemes Afifa Nugrahani
1 d
and Ardania
1 e
1
Department of Social Science Education, Surabaya State University, Ketintang, Surabaya, Indonesia
Keywords: Gender Equality, Masculinity, Family, Child Marriage.
Abstract: This research is motivated by the fact that although there has been a change in Law Number 1 of 1974
concerning Marriage to Law Number 16 of 2019, Article 7 paragraph (1) was carried out to minimize child
marriage as a form of gender equality. However, in fact the phenomenon of marriage dispensation is actually
increasing. This research aims to describe men's efforts to realize the repositioning of masculinity and
strategies for realizing gender equality in child marriage families so that gender inequality does not occur.
This research uses a qualitative method with a case study approach to obtain primary and secondary data. The
results of the research show that there are still many people in Sucopangepok Village who practice child
marriage. Factors that influence the practice of child marriage include customs, economics, parents and
education. The fair distribution of roles in the household between men and women influences society's
perception of gender roles, thereby positioning women to always be in the domestic sector. Society is also
still influenced by patriarchal norms where men are more dominant in decision making, but some men are
starting to support gender equality by providing space for women to be involved in a fair division of household
work without discrimination or violence.
1 INTRODUCTION
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global
development program that has a vision of increasing
economic prosperity in a sustainable manner,
maintaining the sustainability of social life, protecting
the quality of the environment, meeting people's
living needs, as well as improving and ensuring the
implementation of governance based on improving
the quality of the next generation (Larashati, 2022).
The SDGs contain 17 goals and 169 indicators,
balancing 4 pillars, namely the economic pillar, social
pillar, environmental pillar and governance pillar. In
the social pillar, one of the goals is to achieve gender
equality and women's empowerment in accordance
with goal point 5. Gender equality is a goal and
prerequisite for sustainable and peaceful
a
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1098-6694
b
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7927-5975
c
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1047-2709
d
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7157-4057
e
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4750-7244
development. Gender equality is achieved when
women, men, girls and boys have the same rights,
conditions and opportunities, as well as the power to
shape their lives and contribute to the development of
society (Munasaroh, 2022). Gender-based
discrimination and inequality are still clearly visible
in Indonesia with the practice of child marriage. The
stigma that men have greater opportunities in all areas
of development and social life than women, who are
only considered important in the domestic
environment [3]. Gender inequality places men in
more power and dominance than women, thus
causing women to be oppressed and exploited.
Gender differences occur due to social boundaries
and patriarchal norms and traditions. Gender
inequality disproportionately affects men and women
in various fields, both in the private and public
262
Imron, A., Sunyoto, T. A. B., Zulfa, A. W., Nugrahani, D. A. and Ardania,
Repositioning Masculinity to Realize Gender Equality in Child Marriage Families.
DOI: 10.5220/0013414400004654
In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Humanities Education, Law, and Social Science (ICHELS 2024), pages 262-266
ISBN: 978-989-758-752-8
Copyright © 2025 by Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
spheres (Miswoni, 2016). In sub-3, goal 5 of the
SDGs is about eliminating all harmful practices,
such as child marriage, early and forced marriage and
female circumcision (Lima & Guedes, 2024).
Changes to Law Number 1 of 1974 concerning
Marriage to Number 16 of 2019, Article 7 paragraph
(1) states that "Marriage is only if the man and woman
have reached the age of 19 years" (Yudianingsih et
al., 2022). The implementation of Law Number 16 of
2019 which regulates the change in the marriage age
limit to 19 years for men and women still needs
improvement, especially in the law enforcement
mechanism. The recommendations that the
government needs to pay attention to include
allocating special funds for programs that support
girls' education, family empowerment and
community awareness campaigns; designing
derivative policies at the regional level to support the
implementation of the law, such as regional
regulations regarding the prohibition of child
marriage; establishing a monitoring mechanism for
marriage dispensations is only carried out in very
urgent conditions; as well as ensuring reporting
channels for the public who find violations of the
marriage age limit and taking firm action against
perpetrators of violations. This research is
strengthened by the study of Yoshida, et al [7], which
examines the effectiveness of implementing SDGs
goal 5 as a form of Indonesia's efforts to reduce cases
of child marriage.
This change aims to minimize child marriage as a
form of gender equality, but in fact the number of
applications for marriage dispensation has actually
increased. Data from the Central Statistics Agency
(BPS) reveals that the rate of child marriage in
Indonesia fell from 10.82% to 10.18% in 2019-2020,
but is still relatively high. The percentage of child
marriages in rural areas reaches 15.24% and 6.82%
compared to urban areas. According to data from the
2020 National Socio-Economic Survey (SUSENAS),
East Java has the third highest rate of child marriage
in Indonesia with 10.85% of the total 64,211 cases.
(Rahmalia et al., 2023). Factors that cause child
marriage include economics, arranged marriages,
society's mindset, perpetuating relationships, and
pregnancy out of wedlock. .(Lima & Guedes, 2024).
Child marriage has a bigger and more dangerous
impact because it puts babies at risk of stunting. The
tendency is that the younger the mother's age at
marriage, the higher the percentage of children
experiencing stunting. Child marriage has negative
impacts such as exploding birth rates and increasing
miscarriage rates (Fauziah et al., 2023). Pregnant
women who marry at the age of 15-19 years have a
high risk of miscarriage and death during childbirth,
the risk to mother and child is two times higher. Apart
from that, there is also a risk of birth complications,
such as obstetric fistula, infection, anemia, bleeding
and eclampsia. Mothers who give birth before they
are old enough have an impact on babies who are born
prematurely and are malnourished.
Child marriage is a serious problem that not only
occurs in Sucopangepok Village, but also in other
areas. In Kalimantan, for example, child marriage is
actually influenced by local customary factors which
consider child marriage to be a mechanism for
maintaining family honor. Customary factors also
greatly influence child marriage practices in NTT and
NTB, especially regarding dowries which are
regulated by local customs. Child marriage causes a
higher risk of divorce because they are less than 19
years old and have maturity of thinking, are not yet
emotionally stable, and are still not used to dealing
with household problems. This condition can lead to
domestic violence and more divorces (Fadilah, 2021).
This creates problems for psychological well-being
and personality development (Angkasa, 2021). In
addition, research shows that poverty can be like a
vicious circle for young couples, especially those who
marry at an early age. Children from poor families
often marry young due to lack of education, and they
become a burden on the family. As a result, this
poverty continues from one generation to the next
(Imron et al., 2022). Several previous research results,
for example the study of Rahmalia, et al (Rahmalia et
al., 2023) which analyzes the impact of an increase in
the number of child marriages which is very
detrimental. Meanwhile, the study by Yudianingsih,
et al .(Lima & Guedes, 2024) which focuses on the
problems that exist in early marriage to achieve the
SDGs goals of gender equality and empowering all
women and girls. Therefore, this research aims to
describe men's efforts to realize the repositioning of
masculinity and the strategies used to achieve gender
equality in child marriage families so that gender
inequality does not occur.
2 METHOD
This research uses a qualitative method with a case
study approach. This research took place in
Sucopangepok Village, Jember Regency, East Java.
The research implementation began with a field
survey using interview techniques with sources from
BKKBN, RT Heads, Village Heads, and the
surrounding community. Research subjects were
selected purposively based on criteria, including
Repositioning Masculinity to Realize Gender Equality in Child Marriage Families
263
understanding the phenomenon of child marriage in
Sucopangepok Village. The selection of research
subjects also considered gender proportions to avoid
gender bias. Apart from that, there are also
observations to see directly how people in areas that
have high levels of child marriage feel the impact and
families who experience child marriage can
overcome the problems and impacts that arise due to
child marriage and gender inequality. The data
findings were then analyzed using Miles and
Huberman's interactive analysis technique.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Jember Regency borders Probolinggo Regency and
Bondowoso Regency. Sucopangepok Village is
located at the foot of the slopes of Mount Argopuro,
which is quite far from the city center. Sucopangepok
Village is located in a hilly area at an altitude of 700
meters above sea level with temperatures between 23-
330C and fertile soil conditions so it is very suitable
for productive agricultural land. The people of
Sucopangepok village have a homogenous livelihood
as tobacco farmers. The geographical condition of
Sucopangepok Village, which is located in the hills,
encourages the community to make the agricultural
sector their main livelihood. The level of economic
prosperity of not all Sucopangepok Village residents
is classified as upper middle class. There are several
communities in certain neighborhoods that have a low
economic level, the majority of the workforce is filled
by men with physical work. Based on these
circumstances, we want to see the repositioning of
masculinity and family gender relations in
Sucopangepok Village.
Child marriage can have a negative impact on
psychological life, such as frequent arguments and
violence in the household, difficulty in adapting to
change, unstable emotions when facing family
conflicts, difficulty in carrying double burdens, and
depression in mothers. Research in East Java found
that young women aged 15-24 years at first marriage
tend to choose to marry older men. As many as 18.1%
of middle-aged couples are in the age range of 45-49
years. As many as 16% of middle-aged couples are in
the age range of 45-49 years. 40-44 years old.
Meanwhile, at the age of 35-39 years, 16.9% of
couples are in that range. One of them is the cultural
belief that is deeply rooted in society that women
should marry men who are older and have financial
stability. However, society tends to give negative
assessments. in women who marry younger men
(Imron et al., 2020).
On the other hand, the problem faced by the
community in Sucopangepok Village is very
prominent, namely child marriage where many girls
marry at an immature and mature age. Child marriage
has been practiced for generations since ancient
times. The lack of public understanding of marriage
causes child marriage to occur and is very difficult to
prevent (Mufid & Nail, 2021). In Sucopangepok
Village, many girls marry at an immature and mature
age, with the average being married at the age of 19
years.
The factors that encourage child marriage in
Sucopangepok Village are customary factors. Child
marriage has been carried out for generations,
especially among girls who have entered puberty. The
people of Sucopangepok Village think that if they
don't get married immediately, they could become
spinsters even though they are still underage
(Musfianawati, 2022). Second, economic factors,
where families who are economically disadvantaged
marry off their children at a young age so that they
can reduce the family's economic burden.
Sucopangepok Village is located in the mountains,
the majority of people work as farmers, and most earn
their income from agricultural products, as said by
Irawati (23).
“…. Sebenarnaya dulu saya pengen sekali
melanjutkan sekolah ke SMA namun
karena perekonomian yang sulit, saya
disuruh orangtua untuk menikah. Umur
saya 19 tahun udah umurnya untuk
menikah. Di Desa Sucopangepok
perempuan yang belum menikah,
dikhawatirkan baru kawin ketika tua.
Ketika umur 19 tahun sudah waktunya
untuk menikah dari dulu“ (Primary Data,
2024).
Third, the educational factor, where the majority
of people in Sucopangepok Village are only junior
high school graduates. Lack of knowledge makes
them narrow-minded and think less about the future.
When parents see that their daughters have finished
school, they are asked to work to help their parents
and when they no longer have work and are busy they
choose to marry at the child's age. (Mufid & Nail,
2021). Child marriages in East Java have a low level
of education where 82.36% have secondary
education, 4.44% have low education, 0.14% have no
education and the remaining 13.07% have high
education. Meanwhile, their parents' education is
relatively low, namely 64.9%. So parents in Java
underestimate education as a result of the large
ICHELS 2024 - The International Conference on Humanities Education, Law, and Social Science
264
number of children being married off because the role
of parents is very crucial in planning for teenagers and
their families (Putri & Lestari, 2015). Fourth, parental
factors, where child marriage often occurs due to
arranged marriages by both parents. Parents who have
daughters will always be anxious to see their children
grow up without thinking about their age.
Education sector intervention as an effort to
prevent child marriage can be carried out through
various strategies, including providing scholarships
to children, especially women from disadvantaged
families, to continue their education up to high
school, integrating material on reproductive health,
sexuality and children's rights in the curriculum.
schools, providing alternative education programs
such as PKBM or equality classes (Packages A, B,
and C) for children who have dropped out of school,
especially girls, involving teachers to provide
guidance and assistance to students who experience
pressure to marry early, holding educational
campaigns to make students aware of the importance
of postponing marriage until old age mature, hold
regular meetings between schools and parents to
provide education about the importance of girls'
education and the risks of child marriage, strengthen
counseling in schools so that children can talk about
their problems, including pressure to marry early, and
increase access to schools in the area remote to reduce
geographical barriers for girls continuing their
education.
Child marriage is considered normal in the
Sucopangepok community, they consider it normal to
marry off girls at an early age. Child marriage has
various impacts. Women are often more vulnerable
to domestic violence or gender-based violence.
Where girls who marry at a young age do not have the
strength to fight strong patriarchal norms. Apart from
that, immature psychological conditions can lead to
divorce. A mother who marries when she is a child is
at risk of giving birth to a child who is stunted. Based
on the results of the Ministry of Health's Nutritional
Status Survey (SSGI) in 2022, the region with the
highest stunting rate is East Java, reaching 34.9%.
Sucopangepok Village is one of the villages with the
highest stunting rate category (Zham-Zham et al.,
2022).
The theory of gender equality in the Nurture
Theory equalizes the roles and duties of men and
women in quantity equality and fights for it.
Differences between men and women caused by
socio-cultural construction can make women left
behind and neglected in the family and society.
Nurture theory can be used to understand that the role
of masculinity is not natural, but the result of social
and cultural construction. Revising masculinity can
be done through changing behavior and social values
that apply in society. A balanced life can occur if men
and women divide their roles and tasks fairly
according to their respective abilities, starting with
sharing childcare, decision making, earning a living,
financial management and so on (Afifah et al., 2023).
Efforts for men to reposition masculinity are
carried out in terms of a fair division of roles in
household work between men and women and
continue to influence society's perception of gender
roles, thereby positioning women to always be in the
household (Afifah et al., 2023). In Sucopangepok
Village, the division of roles in family decision
making is decided by the husband as head of the
family by discussing with the wife to resolve
problems which are negotiated together. When
deliberating, give each other the opportunity to
express opinions and accept each other's suggestions.
However, the final decision is made by the husband.
This means that the husband positions his wife as a
partner in family decision making to discuss together.
As stated by Irawati (23) as follows.
……Sejak menikah, saya tidak
diperbolehkan suami dan mertua saya
untuk bekerja karena anak saya yang
masih kecil berumur 2 tahun dan di rumah
saja mengurus anak. Suami saya bekerja
sebagai petani tembakau. Kalau suami
saya bekerja sebagai petani tembakau,
kalau dalam pengambilan keputusan sih
biasanya didiskusikan dulu,sampai
nemukan solusinya. (Primary Data,
2024).
The role of division of labor in the household is
that the husband works to earn a living as the head of
the household while the wife is a housewife.
However, there are also some communities that allow
their wives to work. In Sucopangepok Village, the
majority of husbands work as tobacco farmers. In
terms of household work, husbands sometimes help
their wives clean the house, such as sweeping and
washing clothes. Meanwhile, the division of roles in
managing the husband's finances does not give his
income to the wife completely, most of it is held by
the wife and a small part is held by the wife.
Remembering that the wife makes the plans and
divides the income according to the needs that must
be met.
Meanwhile, in terms of sharing childcare, the
husband and wife work together to care for and
educate the children well. However, in terms of
Repositioning Masculinity to Realize Gender Equality in Child Marriage Families
265
parenting, the wife's role is very dominant because
wives spend more time with their children than
husbands who work in the public sector. Husbands
also play a role in supervising, providing advice and
looking after children when they come home from
work or when they are not busy. Therefore, it is very
important to realize gender equality for women and
men to prevent gender inequality by distributing roles
fairly so as to create a harmonious family. In addition,
synergy between local governments and NGOs is
very important to create a wider and more sustainable
impact on preventing child marriage. This
collaboration can be carried out through aligning
child marriage prevention programs, sharing data,
research and field experience to improve
implemented strategies, implementing joint
campaigns to emphasize the importance of children's
rights and gender equality.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Based on the discussion that has been presented, it
can be concluded that the repositioning of masculinity
and gender relations in Sucopangepok Village,
Jember Regency has quite a crucial problem, namely
the high rate of child marriage, where there are still
many women who marry under the age of 19 and do
not even have an ID card. Child marriage is
influenced by traditional, parental, economic and
educational factors. The people of Sucopangepok
Village have a homogeneous livelihood pattern as
tobacco farmers with economic conditions as farm
laborers who do not own fields. The practice of child
marriage in Sucopangepok Village is considered
normal so it can increase the risk of domestic violence
and stunting in children due to the lack of education
of young couples.
This research also shows that even though there is
a division of roles in family decision making,
husbands still dominate the final decisions, while
wives are more involved in raising children, financial
management is not entirely up to the wife after
interviews, husbands are also still involved in
household finances so as to achieve For better gender
equality, education is needed for changes in society's
perception of masculinity and a fair distribution of
roles between men and women.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We express our deepest thanks to Surabaya State
University which has funded this research through the
Non-APBN Fund Basic Research Scheme for the
2024 fiscal year
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