Trend in Urban Behavior
By Yanti B. Sugarda
Family Values, Sex and The Gender Role
Urban people are strongly and consistently supportive of the marriage institution. People think and live in terms of family life. To be an adult single person is the exception, not the norm. Urban adults prefer marital happiness to material wealth. The majority of urban people are married at 20 years and above. Views on premarital sex remain conservative, but Balinese urbanites are least strongly against it. However, as is probably universally the case, men are less likely than women to feel that premarital sex is wrong. But on average the majority people at all levels agree that it is better to wait for wedded bliss
In the working arena 80 percent of the holders of top management positions are still men. However, especially in the Jakarta scene, there are winds of change that will alter the picture in the future Women are beginning to free themselves from general stereotyping, where the traditional view is that women are men’s partners.
Women are becoming more aware of current issues and of their role in society, as they have become more educated and better informed. They aspire to become independent and have empowered themselves to create their own life.
A study on Asian women showed that there are several types of them. Those who are high-achievers are dynamic and independent, while those who are active are dynamic and socially embedded. The new feminine type are those who are socially embedded, caring and quiet.The cool ones are quiet and independent. It seems that Indonesian women are mostly of the socially embedded, caring and quiet – the new feminine type. On the home front, the majority of adult men and women tend to agree that men should do their share of housework. Men have gradually become use to the concept of being partners with women on the same level. Only 14 percent of men feel they should be exempted from doing chores at home. The popular terms for this segment is “traditional husband”