Cost of living challenges prompt young Indonesians to delay parenthood

Jakarta — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has stated that challenges in cost of living, job insecurity, and unequal childcare responsibilities have prompted young Indonesians to postpone having children.

Aleksandar Bodiroza, acting Asia and Pacific Regional Director for UNFPA, stressed the importance of the Indonesian government responding to this phenomenon by focusing on human resource development rather than merely examining demographic figures.

“We have conducted surveys, and respondents actually average wanting more than two children, but they believe they will likely have only one. When asked why, 39 per cent cited financial factors or insufficient money, and around 20–22 per cent mentioned housing because they do not yet own homes to start families,” he said during a meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Bodiroza, commonly called Sasha, continued that approximately 20 per cent cited job insecurity, and 16 per cent of women stated that responsibility for childcare between men and women remains unequal.

“These challenges include cost of living, financial conditions, housing, childcare, paternity leave, maternity leave, and equitable distribution of childcare responsibilities between partners,” Sasha explained.

He further clarified that the primary global issue is not a fertility crisis, but rather that young people lack the agency to decide when and how many children they wish to have.

“Indonesia also has a desired fertility rate. When young couples are asked how many children they want, they average 2.4 children, but when asked how many they realistically expect to have, the answer approaches Jakarta’s fertility rate of approximately 1.9. So there is a gap,” he stated.

Sasha emphasised that rather than focusing on numbers, all stakeholders must prioritise building human capacity to address these challenges and inequalities. The entire world is undergoing demographic transition, including fiscal concerns that more advanced nations are managing appropriately.

“The key is not to label this situation as a crisis. The challenge is not the demographic figures themselves, but whether we are prepared to address this demographic shift—that is what we wish to encourage. What is most important is maintaining reproductive agency. This is about choice and rights,” he said.

According to him, when young couples understand when, how, and how many children they wish to have, they will be far better prepared to form families.

“We still see a gap between the number of children they desire and the number they expect to have. This gap is what we are addressing together with the government through various policy supports,” Sasha concluded.