An Analysis on Views of Iranian Women about Incentive Policies on Childbearing Decision-making (original) (raw)

Factors Affecting Fertility Rate in Iran (Panel Data 1966-2013): A Survey Study

Journal of Family & Reproductive Health, 2017

Objective: Population and its corresponding problems are among multidimensional and complicated issues of human communities and their related features are the basis for making any plan or policy. Fertility, as one of the principle components of population growth, is an issue that has always been taken into consideration and extensive research has been carried out to recognize factors affecting on it. Therefore, the authors decided to study the most important factors influencing fertility rate in Iran by conducting a longitudinal study and considering the effect of various time periods on its population changes. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study. Its required information is a combination of cross-sectional and time series data (panel data) that were extracted from 1966 to 2013 from Iran’s population categorized by the country’s 24 provinces and from statistical yearbooks of Statistical Center of Iran and Organization of Civil Registration. The final estimati...

RAPID FERTILITY DECLINE IN IRAN: ANALYSIS OF INTERMEDIATE VARIABLES

Journal of Biosocial Science, 2008

The remarkable decline in fertility in Iran, which saw the total fertility rate fall from 7 children per woman in 1986 to 2 in 2000, has received only limited analysis in the demographic literature. Using the 2000 Iran Demographic and Health Survey and Bongaarts' age-specific fertility model, this paper examines the role of the major proximate determinants of fertility in bringing about the rapid decrease in fertility in Iran. The analysis indicates that contraception had the largest effect on fertility, accounting for 61% of the reduction in fertility from its theoretical maximum. The fertility-inhibiting effect of marriage patterns accounted for an additional 31% reduction, and was most important among the young. Further analysis of contraceptive behaviour suggests that the current period fertility rate of 2·0 children per woman is an outcome of a synchronization of delaying and spacing of births among younger women with stopping of childbearing among women in the middle and late reproductive ages. The policy implications of the results are discussed.

Fertility, Marriage, and Family Planning in Iran: Implications for Future Policy

Population Horizons, 2016

The Islamic Republic of Iran has experienced a remarkable demographic transition over the last three decades. As a result of social, demographic and economic changes, Iran’s fertility declined from 7.0 births per woman in 1980 to around 1.8 to 2.0 in 2011 based on our estimation (McDonald et al. 2015). The initial rise and rapid fall of fertility accompanied by a decline of child mortality led to a post-revolutionary youth bulge in the age distribution that will lead to rapid ageing in the longer-term future. Others have argued that Iran’s fertility has fallen to much lower levels - as low as 1.5 births per woman (eg. Erfani 2013). Such low estimates led to the Government of Iran adopting a pronatalist policy with the aim of increasing fertility, although the components of the policy are still under discussion. Different views have been expressed on the role of family planning and other programs in meeting population policy goals in Iran in the future with some advocating the discon...

Investigating the effect of behavioral and demographic characteristics of Iranian women on the number of children ever born

Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran, 2021

The number of Children Ever Born (CEB) depends on several important factors such as biological, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors, which can have a positive or negative significant effect. It was recognized that not only community characteristics but also the women characteristics could influence women's childbearing. →What this article adds: It seems that age at first marriage, public mass media, and higher education had more effective on reduction of CEB which must be considered in the planning of increasing fertility in the future.

Childbearing Tendency and Related Factors Among Married Women in Rasht City, North of Iran

Journal of Holistic Nursing and Midwifery, 2023

Reducing childbirth rates is a serious problem in some countries. Iran is one of the countries experiencing a decrease in the fertility rate, with a more than 50% decrease in avery's child statistics. Objective: This study aimed to determine childbearing desire and its related factors among married women. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 550 women aged 15 to 49 referring to comprehensive health centers in Rasht City were selected by multi-stage random sampling. Information was collected using a questionnaire consisting of three parts. The audience was asked about their willingness to have children in the personal and social profile section, the fertility information section, and the third section that to detect degree of desire to have children. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square and logistic regression were used to investigate the factors affecting the reluctance to have children. Results: The results of the research showed that the mean age of the women, the spouse, the age at marriage, and the duration of their marriage were 31.57±6.2, 35.69±6.6, 22.42±4.52, and 9.05±6.5 years, respectively and 54.9% of women were currently willing to have children. The relationship between unwillingness to have children was significant regarding the husband's age (OR=1.112, 95% CI, 1.050%-1.177%, P=0.001). Also, the relationship between reluctance to have children and the age at marriage was not significant; however, it became significant with the length of marriage (OR=1.090, 95% CI, 1.019%-1.167%, P=0.013). The relationship between unwillingness to have children and the women's opinion about the desired number of children was significant (OR=8.101, 95% CI, 3.518%-18.654%, P=0.001). The relationship between unwillingness to have children and the number of current children was significant (OR=16.515,95% CI, 8.293%-32.888%, P=0.001). Conclusion: Our analysis showed that the inability to accept the responsibility of being a parent is one of the reasons why people postpone childbearing to the fourth decade of life and even beyond. Detailed studies are needed to correct the current trend of population decline.

Sociological Study on the Transformation of Fertility and Childbearing Concept in Iran

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility, 2017

Fertility and childbearing, in addition to the biological aspects, has always been regarded as a social phenomenon and, therefore, to understand the incident, values and beliefs, norms, and in short, the culture of any society should be scrutinized. Since the concept, condition, and value of childbearing is associated with cultural, social, political and economic dimensions, it has undergone various transformations during passage of time from past to present. The sociological approach of the current study investigated the evolution of the concept and value of fertility and childbearing in light of historical, social, cultural and economic upheavals. This study shows that the methods of rationalizing and legitimizing decisions about fertility and childbearing are defined and specified in the context of society. The rational for selecting the decisions is intermingled with social, cultural, economic, and political evolutions of the society like modernization, urbanization and the leve...

Determinants of Fertility Patterns in Zahedan, Southeast Iran, 2015

Health Scope

Background: Fertility pattern is influenced by economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors. Sistan and Balouchestan province has the highest household size and total fertility rate in Iran. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the fertility pattern and determinants of the desired number of children among rural and urban women in Zahedan, Sistan and Balouchestan province, Iran in 2015. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 160 urban and rural couples were evaluated in Zahedan. The data collection tool was a questionnaire, including demographic information, fertility pattern, and family planning details. Chi square, independent t test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Binary logistic regression test was used to determine the association of different variables with the desired number of children. Results: Coverage of family planning programs was significantly lower for rural women, compared to their urban counterparts. In addition, the percentage of unsafe delivery was higher in rural women. The mean desired number of children was 3.18 ± 1.7 for urban and rural women and 3.56 ± 1.19 for their partners. As the binary logistic regression analysis showed, preference for a male child and Balouch ethnicity were significant predictors of the desired number of children for women and their partners (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Fertility pattern and determinants of reproductive performance can vary in different populations. Sistan and Balouchestan province has the lowest coverage of reproductive health programs and a high unsafe delivery rate. Therefore, reproductive and pregnancy health programs should be supplemented, parallel to policies concerning population growth.

WHY HAS IRAN'S FAMILY PLANNING POLICY BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL? POLITICAL, DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL-GEOGRAPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF A DRAMATIC FERTILITY TRANSITION

A solid international legal framework for family planning supports national family planning programs. Yet it is not by itself a program guarantee, especially among Muslim nations, many of which have stalled FP transitions and weak or absent government assistance for FP programs. The success of Iran’s family planning program, therefore, is all the more noteworthy. Since its establishment in 1993, it has been one of the most successful state family planning (FP) programs in the world, having reduced the national annual growth rate from 2.7% in the late 1960s to little over 1% currently. This paper explores international and national legal, institutional, demographic, and cultural-geographical influences that may have contributed to its results.