In Japan, "ghost houses" aren't haunted attractions staffed by underpaid workers in makeup. They're real. As Japan's rural elderly migrate to urban centers for better access to medical assistance, they leave behind homes that no one wants or can afford to maintain.
Their children and grandchildren, now rooted in city life, are reluctant to inherit properties that often come with burdensome maintenance costs and steep property taxes. Interestingly, it is often foreigners who show interest in reviving these so-called akiya, or abandoned houses.
These properties are a visible symptom of the country's shrinking and aging population. Nearly 30 percent of the population is now aged 65 and over. The birth rate continues its decades-long decline. In 2024, the number of births reached 686,061, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest recorded since 1899.
Japan is not the only one with what it calls an "aging society". South Korea has been sounding the alarm for years, with the country's fertility rate in 2023 hitting a record low of 0.72 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.1.
Some commentators attribute these population declines to the rise of the so-called childfree 'trend'. While it's a convenient explanation, is it the full picture?
Economic and Gender Challenges
In December 2023, the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) stated that the number of women who do not want to have children is likely to increase in the coming years. The prevalence of women choosing to be childfree rose sharply to 8.2 percent in 2022, equivalent to 71,000 women.
If this 'trend' continues, BPS warned, Indonesia may face a demographic shift similar to that already seen in Japan and South Korea. However, such a demographic shift is not just about numbers. The financial insecurity is a major factor for remain childfree.
A decline in the middle class,from 57.33 million people in 2019 to 47.85 million people in 2024, clearly reflects this trend. Millions of people have slipped from the middle class to near or even below the poverty line. The idea of raising children under such precarious financial conditions is simply unrealistic
Another crucial factor is the unequal role of caregiving responsibilities. In many Indonesian households, childcare continues to be viewed as primarily a woman's responsibility, a consequence of long-standing patriarchal norms. This often means that women are forced to choose between professional advancement and family life, with little state support to ease the burden.
Gita Savitri Devi, an influencer known as Gitasav who openly chose to be childfree, shared this perspective. "I'm very aware of how pregnancy can mess up your body. That's why I don't want it. There are so many other women like me who've seen with their own eyes that motherhood is freaking hard, and we don't need to go through it ourselves to know how tough it is," she wrote.
Unfortunately, the individual choice of not having children in the patriarchal society often comes with societal backlash. After expressing her decision, Gitasav faced a wave of online harassment, with many accusing her of being selfish, ungrateful, and going against traditional values.
However, beside these two factors, the decision to be childfree is also closely tied to the price of properties which is increasingly out of control.
The "Homeless Generation"
State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir said that 81 million millennials of different statuses still do not own a house. This growing phenomenon has led many to label millennials and Gen Z as the "homeless generation".
The gap between property prices and income has widened dramatically. While house prices increase by 10-15% annually, wage growth remains relatively stagnant. Globally, the picture is not much different. In the United States, a report by National Association Realtors (NAR) shows that there were more home buyers over the age of 70 than under the age of 35.
In metropolitan cities like Jakarta, Tokyo, or Seoul, the cost of renting a small apartment alone can consume more than half of a young adult's income. For those already burdened by loans or gig-based employment with no job security, the idea of raising a child feels overwhelming, both psychologically and financially.
This housing problem forces many millennials—and younger generations—to postpone having a child or not having children at all. The dream of raising a family in a stable home environment becomes increasingly unrealistic when even basic housing is unaffordable.
In short, the rise of the childfree choice is just a symptom-not a direct cause-of population decline. Unless these unbearable conditions are addressed, remain childfree may become the rational norm in the future rather than an exception.
Penulis: Arlandy Ghiffari
*Segala pandangan dan opini yang disampaikan dalam tulisan ini sepenuhnya merupakan tanggung jawab penulis dan tidak mencerminkan pandangan resmi institusi atau pihak media online.
(ktr/RIA)