Early Marriage among Madurese Community: A Case Study from the Gender and Development Perspectives

Windiani Windiani (Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Creative Design and Digital Business, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya)
Nila Cahayati (Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Creative Design and Digital Business, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya)
Bazighoh Fatatin (Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Creative Design and Digital Business, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya)

Sawwa: Jurnal Studi Gender
Vol. 21 No. 1 (2026): April

Early marriage is a significant social issue in Indonesia, particularly influenced by cultural expectations, family dynamics, and gender norms affecting young women. This study focuses on the Kraksaan region of Probolinggo, East Java, which the Madurese predominantly inhabit. A qualitative approach reveals that early marriage results from both parental decisions and young women’s aspirations, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between their willingness to marry young and parents’ perceived responsibilities in facilitating these unions. The normalization of early marriage within the social environment portrays post-marriage life as simple and appealing, contributing to its evolution into a generational pattern. To address this issue, the study calls for the Probolinggo Government to enhance gender mainstreaming policies aimed at promoting gender equality, dismantling harmful stereotypes, and alleviating the long-term negative impacts of early marriage.