Stories of women's marriage and fertility experiences: Qualitative research on urban and rural cases in Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: As a Hindu-majority province in Indonesia, Bali presents a unique and distinctive culture. Patrilocal (purusa) marriage and patrilineal inheritance as a continuation of the patriarchal system puts a man in the key role as a family successor. Having a son is a priority for a married couple in Balinese society. As a consequence, Balinese women experience several constraints related to their economic productive, reproductive, and adat (ritual) roles. When a family does not have a male heir, their daughter is pressed to find a spouse willing to accept sentana (matrilocal) marriage. This secondary form of marriage brings another complication for Balinese-Hindu women and does not necessarily relieve their submissive position.  This research analyzes Balinese-Hindu women’s perspectives on their marriage experiences and fertility decisions. Methods: The data was collected in two areas representing rural (Banjar Tumbakasa in Gianyar) and urban (Banjar Biaung in Denpasar) locations in Bali Province, Indonesia from November 2019 to February 2020. Primary data was based on in-depth interviews of six rural and six urban married Balinese-Hindu women.   Results: This qualitative inquiry into Balinese women's experience of the marriage system and fertility options in urban and rural Bali revealed varying degrees of social expectation to provide male descendants for their families. At the same time, economic burdens still haunt them in this development era, and have conflicting implications for family size. Their stories of purusa (patrilocal) and sentana (matrilocal) marriage were complex, being strongly associated with customary law (adat) in traditional society. Paradoxically, however, it was rural women in the study sample who disproportionately opted for the sentana arrangement and limitation of family size.  Conclusions: This study explores women's fertility aspirations, notably regarding son precedence. It problematizes the sentana marriage alternative as a solution to lighten the expectations and burdens affecting women.