HUBUNGAN PERSEPSI KETIDAKSETARAAN GENDER DENGAN KESIAPAN MENIKAH PADA DEWASA AWAL

The phenomenon of declining marriage rates and increasing divorce cases in Indonesia over the last decade raises questions about the readiness of early adults to establish a household. On the other hand, the rising awareness of gender inequality also influences the perspective of the younger generation on the institution of marriage. This study aims to determine the relationship between the perception of gender inequality and the readiness to marry among early adults. The study involved 284 respondents (215 women; 69 men) aged 20–40 years who were unmarried, using a non-experimental correlational quantitative approach. The sampling technique used was accidental sampling, and data analysis was conducted using Spearman’s rho correlation test due to non-normal data distribution. The study results showed that the majority of respondents had a high perception of gender inequality (57.4%) and high readiness to marry (61.6%). However, the Spearman’s rho correlation test yielded a coefficient value of ρ = 0.081 with a significance of p = 0.173, indicating no significant relationship between the two variables. Although the direction of the relationship was positive, its strength was very weak and statistically insignificant. These findings indicate that while awareness of gender inequality perception is quite high, it has not yet become a major factor influencing marriage readiness among early adults. Additionally, this study opens up opportunities for further research with a longitudinal approach and the exploration of mediation variables that could clarify the mechanism of the relationship between the perception of gender inequality and marriage readiness.