Childbearing Motivations of Working Women at the Social Security Organization of Tehran, Iran

Subject Areas : Woman and Society

Hajiieh Bibi Razeghi-Nasrabad ¹ , Abbas Askari-Nodoushan ^{2 *}

1 - Associate Professor of Demography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 - Associate Professor in Demography, Department of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

Received: 2023-08-31 Accepted : 2024-04-10 Published : 2025-05-03

Keywords: Fertility, Childbearing intentions, Employed women, Parental role, Family support,

Abstract :

Introduction: Today, the prevailing values and beliefs among Iranians regarding childbearing have shifted towards smaller families, and the perceived meaning and roles of children have changed in the lives of parents. This study focuses on employed women, seeking to explore their perceptions of the value and meaning of children and their motivations for having children. Methods: Using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis, 22 married women from diverse backgrounds working at the Social Security Organization of Tehran, Iran, were selected through purposive sampling. Data collected through in-depth, face-to-face interviews with participants. Findings: We identified four themes that capture the motivations and challenges of working women in having children: ‘flourishing and development of the parental identity’, ‘implicit awareness of the consequences and challenges of low and late childbearing’, ‘predominance of normative expectations’, and ‘a sense of economic-social security for the decision to have children’. We found that working women's intention to have children arises from their own personal and familial preferences, heavily dependent on the supports they receive from their families. Thus, they manage their desire and behavior to have children personally or within the family context, while organizational and governmental support has not significantly influenced the decision to have more children. We also found that working women tend to prioritize their occupational roles over their motherhood roles, and that organizational support is insufficient in motivating or facilitating their childbearing decisions. We discuss the implications of our findings for policy and practice.