Perceptions of the Childfree Lifestyle Among Urban Workers in Pekanbaru City

The childfree phenomenon represents a contemporary trend reshaping family norms and has increasingly emerged in Indonesia, including Pekanbaru. Among urban working couples, the decision to remain childfree may be influenced by career demands, metropolitan pressures, work burdens, traffic congestion, and the high cost of living. This study aims to analyze the perceptions and underlying reasons for choosing a childfree lifestyle among urban workers in Pekanbaru and examine the choice from a fiqh perspective. A mixed-methods approach was employed by integrating quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected through digital questionnaires to map respondents’ perceptions, while qualitative data were obtained through interviews to explore the motives and backgrounds underlying the decision to remain childfree. The data were analyzed using content analysis from a fiqh perspective, particularly the principles of maslahah, mudarat, and al-umuru bi maqasidiha. The findings reveal that 13% of respondents viewed childfree as a dynamic choice, 22% found it difficult to accept but understandable, 51% rejected it, 5% associated it with traumatic experiences, and 9% considered it logical due to living-cost pressures. The fiqh analysis indicates that the legal status of childfree is not determined solely by the decision not to have children but depends on the motives, circumstances, and manner in which the decision is made. It may be considered haram when based on fear of poverty, financial concerns, or sterilization without medical indications; makruh when motivated by rejection of the Prophetic Sunnah, lifestyle preferences, career demands, or reluctance to assume parental responsibilities; and mubah when temporary and undertaken for health-related reasons through contraception. Thus, fiqh provides a contextual assessment by considering motives, maslahah, mudarat, and the objectives of Sharia.