Gamophobia, Waithood, and the Childfree Movement: A Maqasid-Based Legal System Analysis of Contemporary Family Autonomy
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of marriage avoidance among younger generations has profoundly transformed contemporary conceptions of family, autonomy, and legal identity. This article examines the interconnections among gamophobia (the fear of marriage), waithood, and the childfree movement within the framework of current legal systems and the maqasid sharia (objectives of Islamic law). Utilizing a normative socio-legal approach based on interdisciplinary literature, the study investigates how economic uncertainty, psychological anxiety, shifting gender dynamics, and legal inequalities influence contemporary attitudes toward marriage and family formation. The findings reveal that existing legal frameworks frequently fail to accommodate evolving social realities, thereby perpetuating perceptions of marriage as restrictive, burdensome, and incompatible with personal autonomy. From the perspective of maqasid sharia, these phenomena are intricately connected to the challenges of safeguarding faith, psychological well-being, intellect, progeny, and economic stability within the context of contemporary family life. This study argues for adaptive and inclusive legal reforms that reconcile individual autonomy, social justice, and the dynamic objectives of Islamic family law in contemporary society.
Keywords
Gamophobia
Waithood
Childfree
Legal System
Maqasid Sharia
Copyright
Copyright Holder: Ahmad Rezy Meidina, Syufa’at, Achmad Siddiq, Hariyanto, M. Fuad Zain
Copyright Year: 2026
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
References
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Arthur-Holmes, Francis, and Thomas Yeboah. “Reconceptualizing the Youth and Waithood Notions: African Youth Agency and Rural Livelihoods in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.” Journal of Rural Studies 113 (2025): 103513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103513.
Al-Shāṭibī, Abū Isḥāq. Al-Muwāfaqāt fī Uṣūl al-Sharī'ah. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, n.d.
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Balya, Humam. “Childfree by Choice: A Systematic Literature Review on Islamic Perspectives and Socio-Cultural Dynamics in Indonesia.” Jurnal Ilmiah Ahwal Syakhshiyyah 7, no. 2 (2025): 398–416.
Bermúdez Figueroa, Eva, Valerija Dabetić, Raquel Pastor Yuste, and Zara Saeidzadeh. “Gender and Structural Inequalities from a Socio-Legal Perspective.” (2023): 95–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14360-1_4.
Blackstone, Amy, and Mahala Dyer Stewart. “Choosing to Be Childfree: Research on the Decision Not to Parent.” Sociology Compass 6, no. 9 (2012): 718–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2012.00496.x.
Cai, Manlin. “For the Sake of Parents? Marriages of Convenience between Lesbians and Gay Men in China.” LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal 19, no. 3 (2023): 211–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2023.2172509.
Chang, Joanna Nian. “Why Do Chinese Women Experience Gamophobia? Psychoanalytic Theory Assisted Discourses Analysis.” Frontiers in Psychology 15: 1357795 (2024): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1357795.
Creutzfeldt, Naomi, Marc Mason, and Kirsten McConnachie. Routledge Handbook of Socio-Legal Theory and Methods. New York: Routledge, 2020.
Cuzzocrea, Valentina. “Moratorium or Waithood? Forms of Time-Taking and the Changing Shape of Youth.” Time & Society 28, no. 2 (2019): 567–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X18763680.
Hussain, Dr Syed Maisoor. “The Intersection of Islamic Law and Modern Human Rights.” Journal of Religion and Society 3, no. 1 (2025): 382–94. https://islamicreligious.com/index.php/Journal/article/view/83.
Duasa, Jarita, Izyani Zulkifli, and Zera Zuryana Idris. “Voluntary Childlessness and Islamic Perspectives: A Systematic Literature Review.” Malaysian Journal of Islamic Studies 9, no. 2 (2025): 108–27. https://doi.org/10.37231/mjis.2025.9.2.301.
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Fatkhurrokhman, Ricy, Muhammad Royhan Assaiq, and Tri Wastuti. “Covering Shame, Sacrificing Rights: A Maqāṣid Al-Shari’ah Perspective on Child Protection in Incestuous Marriage Practices.” International Journal of Social Science and Religion, 6, no. 3 (2025): 347–448. https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v6i3.380.
Filah, Nafilah, Aspandi, Iffan Ahmad Gufron, and Suadi Sa’ad. “Systematic Literature Review: Pengaruh Spiritualitas Islam dalam Mengatasi Gejala Gamophobia pada Generasi Muda Muslim Indonesia.” Arus Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora 5, no. 1 (2025): 428–35. https://doi.org/10.57250/ajsh.v5i1.1052.
Finn, Brandon, and Sophie Oldfield. “Straining: Young Men Working through Waithood in Freetown, Sierra Leone.” Africa Spectrum 50, no. 3 (2015): 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971505000302.
Friedman, Lawrence M. The Legal System: A Social Science Perspective. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1987.
Gillespie, Rosemary. “Childfree and Feminine.” Gender & Society 17, no. 1 (2003): 122–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243202238982.
Hadiati, Eti, Diah Ayu Setianingrum, and Agus Dwiyanto. “Understanding Childlessness: Islamic Law Perspective Involving a Social Media Influencer and Their Impacts.” KnE Social Sciences 10, no. 14 (2025): 786–95. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v10i14.19139.
Hariyanto, Hariyanto, Ahmad Rezy Meidina, and Mabarroh Azizah. “Decentralization and the Fulfilments of Children’s Rights: Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government in Indonesia.” Lex Scientia Law Review 8, no. 2 (2024): 677–706. https://doi.org/10.15294/lslr.v8i2.14373.
Harrington, Rebecca. “Childfree by Choice.” Studies in Gender and Sexuality 20, no. 1 (2019): 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/15240657.2019.1559515.
Hennink, Monique, Inge Hutter, and Ajay Bailey. Qualitative Research Methods. Sage, 2020.
Husain, Sahin, Nasir Purkon Ayoub, and Mukhammadolim Hassmann. “Legal Pluralism in Contemporary Societies: Dynamics of Interaction between Islamic Law and Secular Civil Law.” Syariat: Akhwal Syaksiyah, Jinayah, Siyasah and Muamalah 1, no. 1 (2024): 1–17.
Inhorn, Marcia C, and Nancy J Smith-Hefner. Waithood: Gender, Education, and Global Delays in Marriage and Childbearing. Vol. 47. New York: Berghahn Books, 2020.
Keldal, Gökay, and Gürcan Şeker. “Marriage or Career? Young Adults’ Priorities in Their Life Plans.” The American Journal of Family Therapy 50, no. 5 (2022): 459–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2021.1915213.
Khoiruddin Nasution, Zezen Zainul Ali, Mufrod Teguh Mulyo, Syamruddin Nasution, and Syaefullah. “The Childfree Discourse in Contemporary Islamic Family Law and Human Rights: Insights from Young Muslim Academics in Indonesia.” MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review 5, no. 1 (2026): 1–32. https://doi.org/10.32332/milrev.v5i1.11080.
Levy, Noa, and Itamar Dubinsky. “Forever Young: Institution-Based Waithood among Youth in Ghana and South Africa.” Time & Society 33, no. 2 (2024): 125–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X231193143.
Maftukhah, Nuriatul, Mustafiqul Hilmi, and Nur Hasaniyah. “Childfree Trend on Social Media (Critical Analyses Studies in Islamic Perspective).” Hakam: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam dan Hukum Ekonomi Islam 7, no. 2 (2023): 201–213. https://doi.org/10.33650/jhi.v7i2.6854.
Meidina, Ahmad Rezy, Zezen Zainul Ali, Mega Puspita, Hilma Nur Ashlakha, and Anisatuz Zahro. “What an Important Implementation of the Educational Rights of Adopted Children in Indonesia from an Islamic Jurisprudence Perspective?” El-Aqwal: Journal of Sharia and Comparative Law 3, no. 1 (2024): 85–96. https://doi.org/10.24090/el-aqwal.v3i1.11125.
Meidina, Ahmadrezy, and Mega Puspita. “Childfree Practices in Indonesia.” Hayula: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies 7, no. 1 (2023): 17–32. https://doi.org/10.21009/hayula.007.01.02.
Mollen, Debra. “Voluntarily Childfree Women: Experiences and Counseling Considerations.” Journal of Mental Health Counseling 28, no. 3 (2006): 269–82. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.28.3.39w5h93mreb0mk4f.
Muhammad, Syafik, Fi’liatul Laili, Hilma Nur Ashlakha, and Ahmad Rezy Meidina. “The Impact of the Family Values Crisis on Children’s Right to Education: An Islamic Legal Principles Perspective in Addressing the Challenges of the Modern Era.” El-Aqwal: Journal of Sharia and Comparative Law 4, no. 1 (2025): 17–34. https://doi.org/10.24090/el-aqwal.v4i1.13600.
Musrifah, Musrifah, and Achmad Yusuf Amin. “The Concept of Mental Health and Mental Care: A Study of Zakiah Daradjat’s Thoughts.” International Journal of Social Science and Religion, 3, no. 2 (2022): 171–84. https://doi.org/10.53639/ijssr.v3i3.60.
Nizar, Muchamad Coirun, Feria Tamara, and M. Noviani Ardi. “Between Work and Family: Multiple Role Strategies of Career Women in Sultan Agung Islamic University.” Al-Hukama’ 13, no. 1 (2023): 115–39. https://doi.org/10.15642/alhukama.2023.13.1.115-139.
Rahardja, Satria Dwie, and Zainal Arifin Hoesein. “Comparison of Legal Systems in the Perspective of Contemporary Issues and Their Application In Indonesia.” International Journal of Social Service and Research 4, no. 12 (2024): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.46799/ijssr.v4i12.1149.
Rosen, Rachel. “From Waithood to Alternative Futures: Unaccompanied Children and Young People’s Temporalities of Care in the UK’s Migration Regime.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 51, no. 6 (2025): 1543–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2441586.
Rosenberg-Friedman, Lilach. “Nationalism, Gender and Feminine Identity: The Case of Post-World War II Zionist Female Emissaries.” European Journal of Jewish Studies 8, no. 2 (2014): 194–216.
Safiudin, Khamdan. “Gender Problems in Indonesia: The Phenomenon of Gamophobia in a Permissive Society.” An-Nisa Jurnal Kajian Perempuan dan Keislaman 17, no. 1 (2024): 67–82. https://doi.org/10.35719/annisa.v17i1.245.
Shah, Rahat, Imran Sabir, and Adeela Zaka. “Interdependence and Waithood: Exploration of Family Dynamics and Young Adults’ Life Course Trajectories in Pakistan.” Advances in Life Course Research 63 (2025): 100660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2025.100660.
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How to Cite
Gamophobia, Waithood, and the Childfree Movement: A Maqasid-Based Legal System Analysis of Contemporary Family Autonomy. (2026). Contemporary Fiqh Studies, 1(1), 39–58. https://doi.org/10.66277/cfs.v1i1.275
