Halal Sex Tourism in Indonesia:Understanding the Motivation of Young Female Host to Marry with Middle Eastern Male Tourists

Abstract

The objective of this mixed-methods study is to understand motivation of young female host to marry with Middle Eastern male tourists. The tourists, mostly from Middle Eastern countries picked female – prostitutes or ordinary women – host to be their wives for a certain period of time. This contract marriage has increased wealthy for those who are involved and therefore it is supported by community. The study took place in Southern Bogor, West Java Province, Indonesia where many cases of contract marriage found. By using projective data collection techniques the authors were allowed to gather data from the third parties. In the qualitative study, 90 female students were involved in face to face interviews. The results were adapted into a quantitative instrument. In the quantitative study, 199 female students participated in a self-administered survey. As a result, the motivation of young female host to marry with Middle Eastern male tourists includes hedonic, marriage barrier, and altruistic motivations.

Keywords: contract marriage, halal sex tourism, motivation, structural equation model, Indonesia