Fertility intention and its sociodemographic correlations among female marriage volunteers: A province-wide cross-sectional survey in Iran

Background: Declining fertility rates pose significant demographic challenges globally, particularly in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Iran. Female marriage volunteers, as a group capable of having children, are a key target for pronatalist policies. We aimed to identify the factors influencing fertility intention among Iranian female marriage volunteers. Methods: We conducted a province-wide cross-sectional survey from January to April 2023. Using a convenience sampling approach and a validated questionnaire (Determinants of Childbearing Intention Questionnaire), we assessed the childbearing intention (i.e., intention to have a child during the next three years) and fertility intention (i.e., ideal number of kids) among 1,506 female marriage volunteers in Kerman, Iran. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and the sealed ballot box method was applied to ensure the confidentiality of the participants’ information. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with childbearing and fertility intentions. Results: The majority of the female marriage volunteers (83.7%) intended to have two or more children, and 61.8% of them intended to have a child during the next three years. They believed that the most appropriate time to have a child after marriage was 2.2 (±1.8) years. Physical and mental health, with a mean of 4.37 (0.94) out of a possible score range of 0 to 5, was the most important perceived barrier to having children. The participants stated that the most appropriate ages for women and men to marry were 22.1 (3.7) and 26.2 (3.9) years, respectively. The vertical collectivism score was 3.90 (0.85) out of the maximum attainable score of 5. The working or educational situation of premarital women was a barrier against fertility intention (OR=0.82; CI95%= 0.71-0.94, p<0.001) and childbearing intention (OR=0.81; CI95%= 0.73-0.89, p<0.001). Conclusion: Despite the decline in the total fertility rate, the tendency to have children is still promising in Iranian female marriage volunteers. Their concern about work and education was the main obstacle to their childbearing intention. This finding underlines the need to implement supportive measures for having children, as seen in the law.