Kesiapan Menikah Generasi Z Masyarakat Urban Surabaya: Memperluas Perspektif Teori Duvall dan Miller

Fenomena penundaan pernikahan, yang dalam kajian sosiologi dikenal sebagai waithood, semakin tampak di kalangan Generasi Z pada kota metropolitan seperti Surabaya, dipicu tingginya biaya hidup dan pergeseran nilai generasi digital native. Fenomena ini memunculkan pertanyaan penting mengenai bagaimana generasi muda memaknai kesiapan menikah sebelum berkomitmen. Penelitian ini bertujuan memahami makna kesiapan menikah bagi Generasi Z di masyarakat urban Surabaya melalui perspektif teori Duvall dan Miller. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap 18 informan Generasi Z yang belum menikah di kawasan metropolitan Surabaya, dipilih dengan teknik purposive sampling, dan dianalisis menggunakan model interaktif Miles dan Huberman. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kesiapan menikah mencakup lima aspek yang saling berkaitan: kesiapan psikologis, sosial, seksual, ekonomi, serta kesiapan menerima peran suami-istri. Informan cenderung menunda pernikahan bukan karena menolak institusi pernikahan, melainkan untuk mempersiapkan kematangan emosional, kestabilan ekonomi, dan kesiapan menjalankan peran keluarga. Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa paparan media sosial dan tren digital, khususnya fenomena viral "marriage is scary", turut membentuk cara pandang Generasi Z terhadap kesiapan menikah, unsur yang belum tercakup dalam kerangka teori Duvall dan Miller. Penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi terhadap pengembangan teori Duvall dan Miller dengan menunjukkan bahwa tugas perkembangan yang semula ditempatkan pada tahap pascanikah kini turut diantisipasi sejak pranikah, serta memperluas dimensi sosial teori tersebut untuk mencakup pengaruh media digital. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan agar program bimbingan pranikah (Bimwin/BP4) yang diselenggarakan Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA) Surabaya mengintegrasikan literasi media sosial dan pengelolaan emosi ke dalam kurikulumnya guna memperkuat dampak praktis konseling pranikah.

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The phenomenon of marriage postponement known in sociology as waithood, is increasingly evident among Generation Z in a metropolitan city like Surabaya, driven by high living costs and the shifting values of this digital native generation. This phenomenon raises important questions regarding how young people interpret marriage readiness prior to making a commitment. This study aims to understand the meaning of marriage readiness for urban generation Z in Surabaya through the lens of Duvall and Miller’s theory. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews with 18 unmarried Generation Z informants from the Surabaya metropolitan area selected via purposive sampling and analysed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The findings reveal that marriage readiness encompasses five interconnected aspects: psychological, social, sexual, and economic readiness, as well as readiness to assume the roles of husband and wife. Informants tend to postpone marriage not out of a rejection of the institution itself, but to ensure emotional maturity, economic stability, and readiness to fulfil family roles. The study also finds that exposure to social media and digital trends specifically the viral marriage is scary phenomenon shapes Generation Z's perspectives on marriage readiness, an element not previously covered in Duvall and Miller’s theoretical framework. This research contributes to the development of Duvall and Miller’s theory by demonstrating that developmental tasks originally associated with the post-marriage stage are now anticipated during the pre-marriage phase, and by expanding the theory’s social dimension to include the influence of digital media. It is recommended that the pre-marriage guidance programs (Bimwin/BP4) organized by the Surabaya Office of Religious Affairs (KUA) integrate social media