Factors Affecting Positive and Negative Values

From the previous discussion, we can see that differences in the values that female and male respondents attached to children were influenced by their role in the family structure. The majority of wives wanted the benefit of help from children because they were

concerned with most of the children's activities in the house. This was clear when they gave the reasons for their sex preference of children. The expectation of help in housework within a short time derived from the preference of a girl for the eldest child and this preference was more prevalent for wives than for husbands. In the house, a woman was busier than her husband. Her function as a housewife was not lessened by her work outside the house. To the working class mother (Rainwater, 1960:86), caring for children

represents the central activity of her life. Rainwater points out that, for her, the children are considered mainly as her property and

responsibility, and it is through them she expects to fulfil herself and her potentialities. On the other hand, husbands were not very concerned with house activities but since they were viewed as the person who was responsible for the economy of the household, the economic reasons were more often given by male respondents. The patriarchal system, which puts a priority on the male position, led to both wives and husbands stating that the son was the one who was responsible for caring for younger siblings, and this was clearer when many male respondents chose the boy as the first/eldest child so that the son could replace the father's position in some circumstances. Ceremonial events that were viewed as one of the family's source of pride were logically

connected by male respondents with the reasons for wanting a son. Older respondents appeared to be more concerned with the need to have someone caring for them if they were ill. Most respondents who stated "caring for parents when sick" as the first advantage

derived from having children, were in the age group of 35 years and over with the majority being in the age group of 45 years and over. Older people also assigned more importance to the benefit of having economic help in old age. The majority of the respondents who wanted some assurance of economic help in old age, especially among the

husbands, were in the age group of more than 35 years. "Noise and nuisance" were more often mentioned by older husbands who also stated the worry when children become ill. Among responses given by the respondents aged 40 years and over, the disadvantage of "noise and nuisance" was second in frequency among female respondents and the disadvantage of "emotional strain" was the second most commonly stated response among the male respondents.

Another important demographic factor affecting the importance of particular advantages and disadvantages of having many children, was the number of children still living. There was a tendency that

the more children still living, the more the respondents considered the response of "children give help to parents" as the most important benefit. Fifty-eight per cent of all female respondents having more

who had eleven children still living, stated the first advantage of having many children as the notion that children greatly assist their parents. It also explains that a family with more children tend to have many older children who gave help in family activities. On the other hand, only 25 per cent of this category stated the general financial costs increase as the first disadvantage of having many children. This fact indicates that the wives who had more than three living children, tend to give more positive economic value to the existence of many children. The psychological burden such as noise and nuisance, tiredness and emotional strain or worry when children became ill, were the first disadvantages considered by the majority of these female respondents. This means that the negative value of having many children put forward by most wives who had more than three children was based on emotional feeling. On the other hand, the majority of the female respondents who had no children considered the subjective reasons such as "happiness" as the most important advantage of having many children, but three-quarters of them had no views about the disadvantages of having many children. Their

responses confirmed the findings based on the question of the feeling after respondents had had their first child, which showed that the most common response both among the wives and among the husbands was happiness for the parents. Other data indicated that 88 per cent of

female respondents who stated no idea about the disadvantages of

having many children were those who had three and less living children. The level of wages seems to have a strong effect on the

decision concerning either the positive or the negative value of having children. All female respondents and 65 per cent of male respondents who considered that the first advantage of having many children was the assurance of economic ‘help in old age were workers whose wages were less than Rp. 10,000 per month. These were the daily workers who had no guarantee of obtaining a pension-allowance or some other source of support in old age. Household help given by children was the first advantage of having many children mentioned by 85 per cent of female respondents and by 68 per cent of male

respondents who had monthly wages less than Rp. 10,000. This finding has confirmed Rainwater's statement (Rainwater, 1960:2) that

traditionally and in reality it is the poor people - "the working class", "the lower class", who have many children. They tend to consider the more positive values of having children because they have the

expectation that having many children would cover the shortage of their income. With respect to Askham's hypothesis (Askham, 1975:96-97), these people could be classified, into the lower working class group as the poorest section of society who tend to have a present rather than a future time orientation because for them, the future is more

uncertain and insecure than it is for other social groups. The

proportion emphasising the economic benefits of children was also high among the respondents whose monthly wages were between Rp. 10,000 and Rp. 30,000 while economic benefit was not important to the staff workers whose wages were in the bracket of Rp. 30,000 to Rp. 40,000 and more than Rp. 40,000. This group viewed the advantages of having many children as a source of happiness for the parents and family and none of them considered the economic benefit.

Besides the perception of economic benefits derived from having many children, the lower wage group also emphasised the

economic burden as the main disadvantage of having many children. Ninety-seven per cent of the female respondents and 74 per cent of the male respondents who stated general financial cost increases as the first disadvantage of having children were respondents in the wage group of below Rp. 10,000. All female respondents and 6 out of 7 male respondents who considered that many children had no

disadvantages, as well as 91 per cent of females and 83 per cent of males who stated no idea, were also included in this wage group.

The level of education and religious education of the

individual were not significant compared with the community opinions that had been influenced by both religious and traditional values. However, it was interesting that the less formal religious education received by the female respondents, the more likely they were to stress the economic benefits derived from many children. When respondents were asked to give their opinion on religious - traditional ideas that stated that children were good luck, and the more children, the more fortune, 81 per cent of wives and 77 per cent of husbands stated that they agreed with this idea. The source of this statement is: "And kill not your children for fear of

Holy Qur'an, XV:31). This statement has been interpreted from generation to generation and it is often proposed by the religious leaders that children are a boon and a blessing given by God.

It was clear that the estate worker community placed a strong emphasis upon the economic and physical interests related to the value of children. Social and psychological interests were only in evidence among certain sub-groups. V. Hull (1976:247) hypothesizes that in a poor landless peasant society, the security value of children would be

important, and White (1976:328) confirms the view of "security in old age" as a primary component of the value of children in peasant

societies. In the estate workers society, the security value of children was more probably emphasized for immediate needs although there were many parents who referred directly to future security. The parents did not need an additional labour source for cultivating as is usually found in most peasant societies, but they needed extra assistance in the household activities and extra money to supplement their insufficient incomes.