skip to main content

Filial Piety: From the Perspective of Indonesian Young Adults

*Rahmi Setiyani scopus  -  Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Indonesia
Carol Windsor  -  School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Open Access Copyright (c) 2019 Nurse Media Journal of Nursing

Citation Format:
Abstract

Background: Filial piety refers to expectations for children to respect parents and fulfill care responsibility, including provide direct care and support them in their old age. However, socio-demographic changes might shape how young generation would see and practice the value of filial responsibility in parent’s old age.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the meaning of filial responsibility among young adults within the social context of Indonesia.

Methods: Symbolic interactionism formed the framework for this study. The constructivist grounded theory method guided the analysis of the data obtained from in-depth interviews with eight university students. The participants were selected using a purposive and snowball sampling technique with the following criteria: 18 years old or over, currently enrolled as a student and had living parents. 

Results: The result showed that redefining the meaning of filial responsibility was obtained as the main theme which linked all four categories: ‘I am the one’, ‘not institutional care’, ‘the gendering of caregiving’, and ‘it is okay to do so’. The findings revealed that the value of filial responsibility was still upheld by Indonesian young people. However, their views had been changed somewhat from the traditional practices which were family oriented and highly gendered to a more contemporary form where caregiving was extended to non-family caregivers and supposed to be less gendered in the practice.

Conclusion: This study offers an insight into the shifting patterns in elderly caregiving and support in Indonesia. The findings also indicate the need to further promote gender equality in elderly caregiving.

Fulltext View|Download
Keywords: Elderly caregiving; filial responsibility; population aging; young people

Article Metrics:

  1. Beh, L. S. & Folk, J. Y. (2013). A study of filial piety practice in Malaysia: relationship between financial well-being and filial piety. African Journal of Business Management, 7(38), 3895-3902. doi: 10.5897/AJBM10.424
  2. Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall
  3. Chan, C. (2017). “Not Always ‘Left-Behind:’ Indonesian Adolescent Women Negotiating Transnational Mobility, Filial Piety, and Care,” The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 18 (3): 246-263, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2017.1311372
  4. Chappell, N. L., & Funk, L. (2011). Filial caregivers; diasporic Chinese compared with homeland and hostland caregivers. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, 26(4), 315-329
  5. Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. London: SAGE Publications
  6. Chen, L. (2011). Elderly residents’ perspective on filial piety and institutionalization in Shanghai. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 9(1), 53-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2010.544209
  7. Lloyd-Sherlock, P., Mayston, R., Acosta, A., Gallardo, S., Guerra, M., Sosa, A. L., Montes de Oca, V & Prince, M. (2018). Allocating family responsibilities for dependent older people in Mexico and Peru. The Journal of Development Studies, 54(4), 682-701, DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2017.1308489
  8. Kadar, K. S., Francis, K., & Sellick, K. (2013). Ageing in Indonesia: health status and challenges for the future. Ageing International, 38, 261-270. DOI 10.1007/s12126-012-9159-y
  9. Minichiello, V., Aroni, R., Timewell, E., & Alexander, L. (1995). In-Depth Interviewing: Principles, Techniques, Analysis (2 ed.). Melbourne: Longman
  10. Schröder, E & Fithry, T. S. (2014) Care dependence in old age: preferences, practices, and implications in two Indonesian communities. Ageing Society, 34(3), 361-387, doi: 10.1017/S0144686X12001006
  11. Tsai, H. H., Chen, M. H., & Tsai, Y. F. (2008). Perception of filial piety among Taiwanese university students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 63(3), 284-290
  12. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). (2014). UNFPA Monographs Series No.1: Indonesia on the Threshold of Population Ageing. Indonesia: UNFPA
  13. United Nations (2017a). World Population Ageing. New York: United Nations
  14. United Nations (2017b). World Population Prospects The 2017 Revision. New York: United Nations
  15. Widjaja, M. and R. A. Simanjuntak (2010), ‘Social Protection in Indonesia: How Far Have We Reached?’, in Asher, M. G., S. Oum and F. Parulian (eds.), Social Protection in East Asia – Current State and Challenges. ERIA Research Project Report 2009-9, Jakarta: ERIA. pp.157-181
  16. World Bank. (2017). World Development Indicators. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS
  17. Zhang, Z., Gu, D., & Luo, Y. (2014). Coresidence with elderly parents in contemporary China: the role of filial piety, reciprocity, socioeconomic resources, and parental needs. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 29, 259-276. DOI 10.1007/s10823-014-9239-4

Last update:

  1. What made you do moonlighting? A tale from the Indonesian labor force survey

    Padang Wicaksono, Dewi Kartika Sari, Reinaldy Sutanto. Cogent Social Sciences, 10 (1), 2024. doi: 10.1080/23311886.2024.2417194
  2. Authoritative Parents and Dominant Children as the Center of Communication for Sustainable Healthy Aging

    Elizabeth Wianto, Elty Sarvia, Chien-Hsu Chen. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (6), 2021. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18063290
  3. Pathways to filial piety from perceived parental authoritarianism: perceived behavioral and psychological control as mediators

    Afrizal Hasbi Azizy, Arum Febriani. Current Psychology, 43 (24), 2024. doi: 10.1007/s12144-024-05928-3
  4. Understanding actions and challenges in protecting older people during covid-19 pandemic in indonesia: A qualitative study with female caregivers

    Gregorius Abanit Asa, Nelsensius Klau Fauk, Melkianus Ratu, Elsa Dent, Paul Russell Ward, Farooq Ahmed. PLOS ONE, 18 (3), 2023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273761

Last update: 2024-11-01 17:00:51

No citation recorded.