Regional differences in marriage patterns in Indonesia in the twenty-first century

Introduction Age at marriage in Indonesia has been rising gradually over a number of decades, but at the same time, a substantial number of teenage marriages is still being observed. Table 4.1 shows the trends in percentage never married among females in certain age groups. Indonesia falls squarely into the group of countries (formerly including virtually all of Asia, though more recently, East Asia, except for China, and much of Southeast Asia, has left the group) where marriage is universal. Marriage is generally considered to be universal where fewer than 5 per cent of women remain single in their late 40s. This is still the case in Indonesia, but cohort changes have been occurring, and it is by no means certain that less than 5 per cent of the cohort of women aged 20-24 in 2005 will remain single when they reach this age. Only time will tell, but what is very clear from Table 4.1 is that each cohort passing through this age has a higher proportion remaining single than the cohort preceding it. Also, there is generally a relationship between the proportion single at ages in their 20s and the proportion of the cohort remaining single in their 40s (Coale 1971, 1977). 1 Three things are also very clear from earlier studies: 1 Many women are still marrying at very young ages in Indonesia, but substantial numbers are also delaying marriage until into their 30s. This contrasts with the situation in China, where female marriage is heavily concentrated in a narrower age range, i.e. in the 20s.