Childfree among Indonesian Muslims in the Contemporary Era: A Biopsychosocial Analysis within al-Shāṭibī's Maṣlaḥah–Mafsadah Framework

Wahyu Nisawati Mafrukha ([e-mail])
Mohammad Jaber Thalgi (Yarmouk University Jordan, Jordan)
Nor Mohammad Abdoeh (Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga, Indonesia)
Aisyah Puan Maharani (Universitas Islam Negeri Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, Indonesia)
Mukhammad Fakhrur Rizal (Universitas Islam Negeri Profesor Kiai Haji Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, Indonesia)

MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): MilRev: Metro Islamic Law Review

The growing visibility of the childfree movement has generated significant debate within Indonesian Muslim society, where reproductive choices remain closely intertwined with religious values, cultural expectations, and gender norms. This study aims to examine how Indonesian Muslim women construct and negotiate the decision to remain childfree in contemporary socio-cultural and religious contexts while exploring the ethical implications of this choice from an Islamic perspective. Employing an interpretive qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, the research involved semi-structured in-depth interviews with seven Indonesian Muslim women from diverse provincial backgrounds, including married and unmarried participants, complemented by interviews with five additional informants representing broader societal perspectives. Non-participant observation and an extensive review of relevant literature were used to strengthen data interpretation through thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological, and social dimensions shapes the decision to remain childfree. Biological factors include reproductive health conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and severe dysmenorrhea, while psychological factors encompass trauma, emotional instability, and concerns regarding parenting readiness. Social influences involve economic uncertainty, environmental awareness, career aspirations, patriarchal cultural expectations, and diverse religious interpretations. The study further reveals that societal responses remain deeply polarized, ranging from stigmatization based on pronatalist and patriarchal norms to growing recognition of women's reproductive autonomy within contemporary Islamic discourse. The originality of this research lies in integrating the Biopsychosocial framework with al-Shāṭibī's Maṣlaḥah–Mafsadah paradigm, enabling a multidimensional analysis that places women's lived bodily experiences at the center while reconciling contemporary social realities with Islamic ethical reasoning. This integrative framework contributes to the development of contemporary Islamic legal and gender scholarship by providing a contextual and ethically grounded understanding of reproductive decision-making among Muslim women in Indonesia.