Divorce is common and is permitted by Muslim law. Javanese children are completely indulged until the age of two or four. Then the discipline becomes very strict, almost cruel. The most common methods of discipline include verbal warnings, corporal punishment, comparison to siblings and other children, and threats of open punishment. The latter encourages children to be fearful and shy around strangers.
Mothers are the primary caregivers, while the fathers are more distant.
Virtually all Javanese claim to be Muslims . In reality, however, they practice a mixture of Islam, Hindu-Buddhism, and spiritism. Each class and village mixes the three religious forms a little differently in order to make their religion better adapted to their place in the world. The upper class performs Islamic rituals more rigorously than the lower classes. They are taught to seek after such qualities as poise and effortless self-control so that they might obtain inner tranquillity.