In the absence of marriage: social and religious-based relationships as alternatives to marriage for never-married adults in Indonesia

Abstract

Unlike in most Western countries where singleness has been relatively considered as an individual’s choice, singleness is often regarded as a social problem in Indonesia. This causes challenges for never married individuals to meet their belonging needs and to maintain their well-being. The current study aimed to explore the roles of social support, religiosity, and religious coping in assisting never-married Indonesian adults to maintain their well-being, as indicated by their levels of life satisfaction and loneliness. An online survey administered to 350 never-married adults (Mage = 29.79; SD = 4.50), followed by in-depth interviews to 40 participants (Mage = 33.14; SD = 4.04) demonstrated that, unlike in many Western countries where the religion seems to be losing its role, In Indonesia, engaging in a nurturing spiritual relationship may assist unmarried individuals, especially those wishing to get married, to cope with societal and personal challenges of being single.