Psychological Dynamics of Society about Minimum Age Limit Change for Marriage from the Perspective of Religious Court Judges during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47679/jopp.719322025

Keywords:

Indonesia, judge, marriage law, religious court, underage marriage

Abstract

Underage marriage (UM) has increased globally, including in Indonesia. This was triggered by changes in the Marriage Law (UU) which increased the minimum age for women to marry from 16 to 19 years old and was followed by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study examines the psychological dynamics of society related to changes in the minimum age limit for marriage from the perspective of Religious Court judges in Indonesia. A descriptive qualitative approach was used by conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 judges from 16 Religious Courts in Indonesia who handle marriage dispensation cases. This process was followed by data collation, coding, classification, and analysed by the deductive thematic technique. As a result, participants conveyed the background of the age limit change and the public's reaction after the change. Some participants stated that the age limit change is not the authority of the court or judge. Some others said that the increase in the minimum age limit for marriage was carried out based on the risks behind underage marriage. These risks are psychological factors, reducing the number of UM cases, preventing divorce, gender equality, and reasons for education, work, and physical condition. Public showed various responses; obeying the rules, not knowing about the regulatory changes, and being against it. Basically, the new Marriage Law seeks to stop the UM trend. The government needs to conduct socialization about the age limit change and the risks of UM. Cooperation from various parties is also needed, especially from parents who need to pay more attention to their children.

Author Biography

Very Julianto, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga

Department Psychology, Faculty Social Sciences and Humanities

References

Abera, M., Nega, A., Tefera, Y., & Gelagay, A. A. (2020). Early marriage and women’s empowerment: The case of child-brides in Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. BMC International Health and Human Rights, 20(1), Article 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-020-00249-5

Al Akash, R., & Chalmiers, M. A. (2021). Early marriage among Syrian refugees in Jordan: Exploring contested meanings through ethnography. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 29(1), 287–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2021.2004637

Amin, M., & Rosyidha, A. L. (2023). Implikasi pernikahan dini terhadap kehidupan individu remaja. Attadib: Journal of Elementary Education, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.32832/at-tadib.v7i3.19478

Apriyanti, D. A. (2021). Perlindungan perempuan dan pernikahan di bawah umur. PAMPAS: Journal of Criminal Law, 2(1), 115–124. https://doi.org/10.22437/pampas.v2i1.12676

Ashley, C., James, S., Williams, A., Calma, K., McInnes, S., Mursa, R., Stephen, C., & Halcomb, E. (2021). The psychological well-being of primary healthcare nurses during COVID-19: A qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(9), 3820–3828. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14937

Bartels, S. A., Michael, S., Roupetz, S., Garbern, S., Kilzar, L., Bergquist, H., Bakhache, N., Davison, C., & Bunting, A. (2018). Making sense of child, early and forced marriage among Syrian refugee girls: A mixed methods study in Lebanon. BMJ Global Health, 3(1), Article e000509. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000509

Bennett, L. R. (2014). Early marriage, adolescent motherhood, and reproductive rights for young Sasak mothers in Lombok. Wacana, 15(1), 66–86. https://doi.org/10.17510/wjhi.v15i1.105

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Catania, G., Zanini, M., Hayter, M., Timmins, F., Dasso, N., Ottonello, G., Aleo, G., Sasso, L., & Bagnasco, A. (2021). Lessons from Italian front-line nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(3), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13194

Christian, J. H., & Edenela, K. (2019). Terampasnya hak-hak perempuan akibat diskriminasi batas usia perkawinan. Lex Scientia Law Review, 3(1), 1–14.

Collier, A., House, E., Helal, S., Michael, S., Davison, C. M., & Bartels, S. A. (2023). ‘Now, she’s a child and she has a child’—Experiences of Syrian child brides in Lebanon after early marriage. Adolescents, 3(2), 212–227. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3020016

Diliminata, M. I. (2021). Pelaksanaan dispensasi perkawinan sebagai perwujudan perlindungan anak di bawah umur (Studi Putusan Nomor 34/PDT.P/2020/MS.SKL) [Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Sumatera Utara].

Doyle, L., McCabe, C., Keogh, B., Brady, A., & McCann, M. (2020). An overview of the qualitative descriptive design within nursing research. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(5), 443–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987119880234

Dwipayana, S. K. B., Nafisah, L., & Hariyadi, B. (2023). Faktor yang memengaruhi persepsi remaja terhadap pernikahan dini di Kecamatan Bogor Selatan Kota Bogor. Jurnal Keluarga Berencana, 8(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.37306/kkb.v8i1.167

Elnizar, N. E. (2018, July 18). Bingung mau berperkara? Mari kenali jenis-jenis pengadilan di Indonesia. Hukumonline. https://www.hukumonline.com/berita/a/bingung-mau-berperkara-mari-kenali-jenis-jenis-pengadilan-di-indonesia-lt5b4f09b41a4e1/

Equality Now. (2014). Protecting the girl child. http://www.equalitynow.org/sites/default/files/Protecting_the_Girl_Child.pdf

Erdianto, K. (2018). Menteri Yohana: Di Papua, banyak anak usia 10–16 tahun sudah menikah. Kompas.com.

Erfina, E., Widyawati, W., McKenna, L., Reisenhofer, S., & Ismail, D. (2019). Exploring Indonesian adolescent women’s healthcare needs as they transition to motherhood: A qualitative study. Women and Birth, 32(6), e544–e551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2019.02.007

Fan, S., & Koski, A. (2022). The health consequences of child marriage: A systematic review of the evidence. BMC Public Health, 22(1), Article 309. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12707-x

Girls Not Brides. (2011, September). Girls Not Brides: The global partnership to end child marriage.

Heryanti, R. (2021). Implementasi perubahan kebijakan batas usia perkawinan. Jurnal Ius Constituendum, 6(1), 120–143. https://doi.org/10.26623/jic.v6i1.3190

Horii, H. (2020). Child marriage as a ‘solution’ to modern youth in Bali. Progress in Development Studies, 20(4), 282–295. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993420977793

Hura, A., & Kakisina, S. M. (2022). Pengaruh sosialisasi perpajakan terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak usaha mikro kecil dan menengah. JAMANE: Jurnal Akuntansi, Manajemen dan Ekonomi, 1(1), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.56248/jamane.v1i1.31

Irfan. (2019, January 30). Inilah penyebab pernikahan usia dini di Kabupaten Jayapura melonjak. Lintas Papua. https://lintaspapua.com/2019/01/30/inilah-penyebab-pernikahan-usia-dini-di-kabupaten-jayapura-melonjak/

Julianto, V., Kamsi, Haq, A., Shofa, R. L., & Liem, A. (2022). Tick tick boom: The rise of child marriage in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/m6der

Kamal, S. M. M., Hassan, C. H. E. H., Alam, G. M., & Ying, Y. (2015). Child marriage in Bangladesh: Trends and determinants. Journal of Biosocial Science, 47(1), 120–139. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932013000746

Kenelek, S., Poli, A. I., & Frank, S. A. K. (2021). Perkawinan usia dini perempuan Korowai di Kampung Kabuage Distrik Firiwage Kabupaten Boven Digoel. Cenderawasih: Jurnal Antropologi Papua, 1(2), 81–103. https://doi.org/10.31957/jap.v1i2.1638

Kholidiyah, D., Sutomo, & Kushayati, N. (2021). Hubungan persepsi masyarakat tentang vaksin COVID-19 dengan kecemasan saat akan menjalani vaksinasi COVID-19. Jurnal Keperawatan, 14(2). https://e-journal.lppmdianhusada.ac.id/index.php/jk/article/view/135

Kunardi, M., & Muzzamil, H. M. (2014). Implikasi dispensasi perkawinan terhadap eksistensi rumah tangga di Pengadilan Agama Semarang. Jurnal Pembaharuan Hukum, 1(2), 209–218. https://doi.org/10.26532/jph.v1i2.1479

Lahmi, A., Rasyid, A., Ritonga, M., & Saputar, R. (2020). The role of parents in forming morality adolescents puberty in globalization era. International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking, 13(4), 3991–3996. http://sersc.org/journals/index.php/IJFGCN/article/view/34669

Liem, A., Julianto, V., Kamsi, Haq, A., Shofa, R. L., & Kamilatissa’adah. (2024). Factors associated with child marriage during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Contemporary Islam, 18(3), 457–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-023-00545-6

Lubis, A., Baharuddin, A., Maganingratna, A., & Lubis, M. A. (2021). NGOs and child marriage problem in Indonesia: Analysis of issues, strategies and networks. Gorontalo Journal of Government and Political Studies, 4(1), 85–95. https://doi.org/10.32662/gjgops.v4i1.1346

Malik, M. I., Nadeem, M., & Adil, S. M. (2022). Exploring the determinants of female early age marriages in Pakistan. Women’s Studies International Forum, 92, Article 102594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2022.102594

Montazeri, S., Gharacheh, M., Mohammadi, N., Alaghband Rad, J., & Eftekhar Ardabili, H. (2016). Determinants of early marriage from married girls’ perspectives in Iranian setting: A qualitative study. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2016, Article 8615929. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8615929

Najjarnejad, N., & Bromfield, N. (2022). Professional stakeholders’ perceptions of child marriage in Lebanon among Syrian refugees. Children and Youth Services Review, 140, Article 106592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106592

Naveed, S., & Butt, K. M. (2015). Causes and consequences of child marriages in South Asia: Pakistan’s perspective. South Asian Studies, 30(2), 161–175. https://pu.edu.pk/home/journal/9/Vol_30_No_2_julydec2015.html

Nurhandayani, F. (2022). Optimalisasi fungsi keluarga dalam pencegahan fenomena kehamilan yang tidak diinginkan pada remaja. Comm-Edu (Community Education Journal), 5(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.22460/comm-edu.v5i1.10550

Psaki, S. R., Melnikas, A. J., Haque, E., Saul, G., Misunas, C., Patel, S. K., Ngo, T., & Amin, S. (2021). What are the drivers of child marriage? A conceptual framework to guide policies and programs. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(6), S13–S22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.09.001

Rahmawati, M., & Nuraeni, H. A. (2021). Peran dispensasi kawin dalam peningkatan angka pernikahan dini di wilayah Kotamadya Jakarta Barat. Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam, 6(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v6i1.1578

Raj, A., Salazar, M., Jackson, E. C., Wyss, N., McClendon, K. A., Khanna, A., Belayneh, Y., & McDougal, L. (2019). Students and brides: A qualitative analysis of the relationship between girls’ education and early marriage in Ethiopia and India. BMC Public Health, 19(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6340-6

Republik Indonesia. (1974). Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 tentang Perkawinan. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/47406/uu-no-1-tahun-1974

Republik Indonesia. (2002). Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 23 Tahun 2002 tentang Perlindungan Anak. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/44473/uu-no-23-tahun-2002

Republik Indonesia. (2009). Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 50 Tahun 2009 tentang Perubahan Kedua atas Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 1989 tentang Peradilan Agama. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/38795/uu-no-50-tahun-2009

Republik Indonesia. (2019). Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 16 Tahun 2019 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 tentang Perkawinan. https://peraturan.go.id/id/uu-no-16-tahun-2019

Rondonuwu, D. J., Bokian, G. M., & Kasingku, J. D. (2024). Peran keluarga dalam mengatasi dampak negatif dari pergaulan bebas. Jurnal Educatio FKIP UNMA, 10(3), 910–919. https://doi.org/10.31949/educatio.v10i3.8497

Sandelowski, M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in Nursing & Health, 33(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20362

Santrock, J. W. (2007). Perkembangan anak. Erlangga.

Santrock, J. W. (2013). Adolescence (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Searby, A., & Burr, D. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on alcohol and other drug nurses’ provision of care: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(11–12), 1730–1741. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15732

Singh, R., Goli, S., & Singh, A. (2022). Armed conflicts and girl child marriages: A global evidence. Children and Youth Services Review, 137, Article 106458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106458

Suryadi, B., & Ahmad, B. A. (2020). Early marriage in rural South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Talent Development & Excellence, 12(1), 4707–4718.

Susilo, S., Istiawati, N. F., Aliman, M., & Alghani, M. Z. (2021). Investigation of early marriage: A phenomenology study in the society of Bawean Island, Indonesia. Journal of Population and Social Studies, 29, 544–562. https://doi.org/10.25133/JPSSv292021.034

Tisdall, E. K. M., & Cuevas-Parra, P. (2020). Challenges for children’s participation: Child activism for ending child marriage. Children and Youth Services Review, 108, Article 104568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104568

Tomar, S., Johns, N., Challa, S., Brooks, M. I., Aliou, S., Abdoul-Moumouni, N., Raj, A., & Silverman, J. (2021). Associations of age at marriage with marital decision-making agency among adolescent wives in rural Niger. Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(6), S74–S80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.007

UNFPA. (2012). Marrying too young: End child marriage. https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/MarryingTooYoung.pdf

UNICEF. (2020). Child marriage. https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-marriage

Vaismoradi, M., & Snelgrove, S. (2019). Theme in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 20(3), Article 23. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-20.3.3376

Verawati, M., Kartikasari, D., Mariza, N., Yulianti, R., Wicaksono, B., & Ria, N. A. (2021). Perkawinan bukan untuk anak: Potret perkawinan anak di 7 daerah pasca perubahan UU Perkawinan. Yayasan Plan International Indonesia dan Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia untuk Keadilan dan Demokrasi. https://www.batukarinfo.com/system/files/Final_Laporan Studi Perkawinan Anak.pdf

Downloads

Published

2025-01-29

How to Cite

Julianto, V. (2025). Psychological Dynamics of Society about Minimum Age Limit Change for Marriage from the Perspective of Religious Court Judges during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Journal of Psychological Perspective, 7(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.47679/jopp.719322025

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Empirical Research

Citation Check

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Very Julianto

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Journal of Psychological Perspective (JOPP) is committed to promoting academic freedom and open access. To that end, we apply a copyright policy that empowers authors while ensuring the broad dissemination and responsible reuse of published work. More...

 

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.