Java Community Philosophy: More Children, Many Fortunes

Abstract

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.