An Analysis of the Social Factors Affecting Fertility and Population Decline in Iran

The objective of this research is to analyze the social factors contributing to fertility and population decline in Iran. This study employs a descriptive-analytical methodology using a library-based data collection approach. This analytical framework enables a comprehensive examination of the various social dimensions underlying fertility and population decline in the country. The findings indicate that numerous social factors have played a significant role in the demographic shift in the Islamic Republic of Iran. These factors can be broadly categorized into two main domains: international social transformations and domestic transformations within Iranian society and family structures. Influences such as the “hegemonic system” (global powers), international aid, and the impact of feminism on Iranian families are identified as factors of international transformation. Conversely, domestic factors include the implementation of population control and family planning policies, weakened marital relations, marital conflicts, the rising age of marriage and involuntary singlehood, structural changes in Iranian families, an increase in abortions, poor media literacy, the influence of cyberspace, consumerist addiction, rapid urbanization, migration, and the prevalence of the single-child phenomenon.