Faced with the dizzying drop in marriages among young people, this country has found an original solution to say the least: offering them a fruit with a pestilential odor as a wedding present.
Faced with the growing disinterest of Generation Z in the institution of marriage, certain countries are opting for strategies that are confusing to say the least. In order to convince young people to put the ring on their finger, the authorities have decided to offer a formidable olfactory gift to the newlyweds… It is a tropical fruit whose very powerful smell is often reminiscent of that of trash cans or even old sports socks. This unexpected approach, sometimes accompanied by an exemption from administrative costs or the distribution of other local foodstuffs, aims to attract young people who are massively deserting nuptial ceremonies.
To ensure maximum visibility, this seduction campaign took over social networks. On TikTok, videos showing the handing over of this fruit to newlyweds have accumulated millions of views, sparking an avalanche of reactions in the comments: Internet users oscillate between total disbelief, biting irony and deep skepticism in the face of this attempt at fruity “corruption”. Behind this buzz, however, lies a very real demographic emergency. According to data from the local Statistics Agency, the number of registered marriages among the majority population fell by almost 30%, from 2 million to 1.4 million per year. It is for this reason that the religious affairs offices are desperately trying to put the brakes on with buzz.
It is in Indonesia that this curious communication operation saw the light of day. And the famous gift is none other than… durian. If its aroma puts off the uninitiated, this product is in reality perceived as the “king of fruits” in South-East Asia, a particularly expensive symbol of wealth and prestige. which therefore gives a luxurious dimension to the offer of the Indonesian religious authorities. Its price varies greatly from one fruit to another, depending on the season, the variety or the size of the fruit: you can find them for around 1 to 3 euros each, but you can sometimes count on more than a hundred euros to obtain a quality durian. Some even sold for more than 850 euros each in 2019! Despite its foul smell, this fruit is a luxury item for the inhabitants of Indonesia, whose average salary is only 350 euros.
However, as recalled by Jakarta Postit will take much more than free durians and viral videos on social networks to reverse this fundamental trend. Young Indonesian adults face galloping inflation, a precarious job market and unaffordable property prices in big cities, to which are added education costs which jump by 5 to 6% each year… Enough to make the idea of starting a family profoundly perilous.
The fall in marriages automatically leads to a decline in births – especially since sexual relations and cohabitation of unmarried couples is punishable by prison, or even public flogging in certain very conservative regions – Indonesia ultimately risks seeing its social model and its economy severely weakened by this societal upheaval. The drop in the number of unions among young people is therefore only the tip of the iceberg, and a simple free durian (however expensive it may be) cannot on its own convince couples to finally move towards the altar: perhaps it is the entire nuptial policy that should be reviewed.
