Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes

In Indonesia, the island of Java is one of the largest and most populous regions. Indonesia’s population was 271.35 million in 2021, of which 271.35 million or 55.19% live on the island of Java. Most families have more than two children because of the traditional philosophy in Javanese society that...

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Main Author: Enung Hasanah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Genealogy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/1/3
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author Enung Hasanah
author_facet Enung Hasanah
author_sort Enung Hasanah
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description In Indonesia, the island of Java is one of the largest and most populous regions. Indonesia’s population was 271.35 million in 2021, of which 271.35 million or 55.19% live on the island of Java. Most families have more than two children because of the traditional philosophy in Javanese society that more children are linked to many fortunes. Many still believe in this philosophy, but others consider it an unsuitable inheritance of the colonial era. Therefore, this ethnographic study aimed to explore the development of the traditional philosophy of “more children, many fortunes” in modern Javanese society. The results showed that parents with more than two children from marginalized and wealthy families lived in cities and were highly educated. Several things support the eternal philosophy of “more children, many fortunes” in the life of the Javanese people. These include: (1) It is against God’s decree to regulate births using contraception. (2) People believe that all children are born with their fortune. Therefore, parents should not worry about meeting the needs of many children. (3) Children are viewed as luck and eternal binders in domestic relationships. In this case, infertility is a potential source of family problems resulting in divorce. Therefore, many adopt children to avoid problems in household relationships.
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spelling doaj.art-c1a67871849c4ab5a3c18b7748bf77c22023-11-17T11:15:36ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782022-12-0171310.3390/genealogy7010003Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many FortunesEnung Hasanah0Department of Education Management, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta 55161, IndonesiaIn Indonesia, the island of Java is one of the largest and most populous regions. Indonesia’s population was 271.35 million in 2021, of which 271.35 million or 55.19% live on the island of Java. Most families have more than two children because of the traditional philosophy in Javanese society that more children are linked to many fortunes. Many still believe in this philosophy, but others consider it an unsuitable inheritance of the colonial era. Therefore, this ethnographic study aimed to explore the development of the traditional philosophy of “more children, many fortunes” in modern Javanese society. The results showed that parents with more than two children from marginalized and wealthy families lived in cities and were highly educated. Several things support the eternal philosophy of “more children, many fortunes” in the life of the Javanese people. These include: (1) It is against God’s decree to regulate births using contraception. (2) People believe that all children are born with their fortune. Therefore, parents should not worry about meeting the needs of many children. (3) Children are viewed as luck and eternal binders in domestic relationships. In this case, infertility is a potential source of family problems resulting in divorce. Therefore, many adopt children to avoid problems in household relationships.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/1/3Javanese philosophyculturechildrenfamilymodern
spellingShingle Enung Hasanah
Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
Genealogy
Javanese philosophy
culture
children
family
modern
title Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
title_full Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
title_fullStr Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
title_full_unstemmed Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
title_short Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes
title_sort java community philosophy more children many fortunes
topic Javanese philosophy
culture
children
family
modern
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/1/3
work_keys_str_mv AT enunghasanah javacommunityphilosophymorechildrenmanyfortunes