THE RELEVANCE OF MALTHUS' THEORY IN PERCEPTION THE MORE CHILDREN WE HAVE, THE MORE PROSPEROUS WE ARE.'

(Study in Sosrodipuran Village, Special Region of Yogyakarta)

Abstract

Thomas Robert Malthus argues that as the population grows, the energy and food sources will decrease, so it is necessary to limit the rate of population. However, in society, the perception of 'the more children we have, the more prosperous we are ' still exists. This study wants to see the relevance of Malthus' theory in the perception of 'the more children we have, the more prosperous we are' by analyzing families with many children and few children.

The research was conducted in Sosromenduran Village, the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Sosrodipuran is an area that is close to the heterogeneity of society with its proximity to urban centers, but this area is located in Yogyakarta with a thick Javanese culture where the notion of 'the more children we have, the more prosperous we are' is still attached. Research techniques are field studies and data collection techniques with in-depth interviews. Informants were determined by purposive method to people who have many children and people who choose not to have many children.

The results of this study see that the view of 'the more children we have, the more prosperous we are' is still inherent in society, especially in families with many children. However, for families with few children, they see that having children needs to consider the quality of life such as economic fulfillment, education, health, and affection so they decide not to have many children. It shows the relevance of Malthus' theory which emphasizes the quality of family life rather than the number of family members.