Investigating the Economic, Social and Cultural Factors Influencing Total Fertility Rate in Kermanshah

Background and Fertility is an effective factor on population growth that its influential factors can be changed over time. This study aimed at surveying some effective social, cultural and economic factors on total fertility rate (TFR) in Kermanshah. The study population included women aged 15-49 years old resident in Kermanshah during 1996, 2006, and 2011. Data was obtained from Statistical Center of Iran, National Organization for Civil Registration, and Kermanshah health center. Data was then analyzed by SPSS software using multiple regression. In 1996, three factors were effective on TFR including: general activity rate (-0.064), literacy rate in society (-0.069), and rate of aging (-0.031). In 2006, six factors were found to be more influential on TFR including women literacy rate (-0.190), illiteracy rate in society (0.146), general activity rate (-0.129), women continuing education (0.50), rate of aging (-0.031), and net dependency rate (0.026). But in 2011, there were 13 effective factors on TFR including young population rate (0.370), continuing education (-0.184), family size (0.256), women's economic participation (-0.191), women unemployment (-0.048), society’s economic participation rate (0.210), general activity rate (-0.965), rate of aging (-0.179), women marriage rate (-0.018), illiteracy rate in society (0.266), literacy rate in society (-0.935), dependency rate (0.145), and women continuing education (-0.065). Cultural variables on the one hand and economic pressures on households, on the other hand, as the most determinant factors, lead to decline in the total fertility rate in the study period.