[Essay/Opinion] The Student Culture of Early Pregnancy (Before Marriage)

Zahra Nur Fadilah

The pregnant culture before marriage is not a taboo issue anymore to be discussed. In this era,
it is not surprising that student couples have a baby before their marriage. There are several
causes on student couples to do that. Family condition, environment influences, technology
influences, and lack of religion aspect can be the cause of early pregnancy. There are many
impacts of early pregnancy of students, as I see it.
In general, girls may suffer because of their early pregnancy. They have to experience the
pregnancy and the process of childrens birth. In Indonesia, there are many matters of senior
or junior high school students having a baby before their graduation. I refer to The Jakarta
Post quoting UNICEF, that one in six Indonesian girls marry before they turn 18, about
340,000 girls every year and around 50,000 girls marry before they reach 15 every year. In
addition, I argue that boys must have more responsibility in their early marriage than when
they are still in school. When they are in junior or senior high school, they may only have one
primary problem, i.e. the school problem, such as friendship, subject matters, etc. This
problem contrasts to a problem marriage. At the first time, Boys have to look for money for
their new family. They have to give their wife and children food.
Girls will be excluded if the school committee know their student having a baby. I have one
friend who is excluded from her senior high school because of having a baby. She lives in
Kiaracondong area in Bandung. I think that she get lack of affection from her parents. Her
parents are about 40 years old. Her elder sister also has children whom her husband has been
gone since 2007. Her parents have again one child. Try to imagine how miserable her family
is. The family seems to be in a mess. I can see from her sisters family. We can call my friend
D and her sister E. Because E has lost her husband, she has to look for money for her
family needs. It is very difficult to look for job for E who only a graduate of one junior high
school in Garut. E have not yet had a job for several months even years so parents of E must
fulfil Es family needs. D certainly has to marry her husband to be. As far as I know the
earnings of Ds husband is not sufficient for Ds needs and her baby. I think it is irony.
Earnings of the parents can be insufficient for the needs of D, E, and a little brother of D and
E. Based on Ds story, I argue that there are several reasons for children, particularly girls be
pregnant before their marriage.
Family condition, environments, lack of religion aspect, and technology influences can be the
cause of early pregnancy on girls. Having divorced parents is an unfortunate situation for
children. Broken home is the usual term referring to those children. The cause of divorce
such as, working parents, dishonest couples, etc. can lead children to bad things. Children
may get lack of attention because of parents busywork or their new couples. The busyness of
parents can impact to children such as, the freedom of children social intercourse as an
example of my friend. Childrens environments can impact their behaviour. Bad friends can
lead them to the bad behaviour. Lack of religion aspect can make children having no

principle. If forgetting God, we have no direction in this life. If we cannot always remember
God, we may break the law of God. Furthermore, it directs to bad things. Having an
important role, technology carries advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is
appearing many videos of pornography. Those videos can stimulate students to imitate some
negative actions.
Building a new family in teenager may appear some matters on the stages of new life. The
results of early marriage are such as, lack of economy aspect in married couples, being
susceptible to get divorced influencing couples health, and other matters. According to The
Jakarta Post that UNFPA is working with the National Commission on Violence Against
Women (Komnas Perempuan) and other civil society groups to do a research on the negative
impacts of early marriage on teenage girls such as, health, education and economic
opportunities. Because of early marriage in the rushed manner, teenage couples may have no
preparation. They certainly have not yet had savings for building their new family. When they
marry, their daily needs may still come from their parents. Lack of preparation of economic
aspect can lead the new family of teenager to the divorce. Talking about health, I argue that
the condition of teenage girls pregnancy approximately in 13 to 19 is not yet stable. Girls
uterus has not yet been strong enough to give birth a baby. I refer to The Jakarta Post quoting
Siswanto Agus Wilopo statement, professor in reproductive health at Gajah Mada University
in Yogyakarta said that Pregnant youth face a double risk for a variety of health
repercussions and even risk dying from pregnancy-related complications.
Thus, the communication between parents and children must work well. Parents must create
harmonious atmosphere in the family in order to prevent their teenage children marrying at
not the proper age. Teenage parents will take much risk because they have not yet been ready
both emotionally and physiologically.

References: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/24/too-young-marry.html
The life story of Zahras friend

Word counts: 905 words