Intention for Single Child among Women and Men on the Threshold of Marriage in Tehran: Levels and Determinants

This paper aims to assess prevalence of intention for having single child and its determinants among new cohorts of marriage. For this paper, the data of the first phase of the survey of a mix method study conducted in 2012 among 871 men and women were analyzed. Sample was selected using stratified cluster sampling from among men and women who attend government based premarital counseling centers in Tehran. The findings revealed that a significant proportion of young men and women (46% of men and women) intended to have single child, while nearly 43% intended for two children. Determinants of intention for single child among men comprised of individualism (OR=1.34), lower concerns on consequences of having single child (OR=0.74), greater gender equality beliefs (OR=4.66), and greater social concerns of childrearing (OR=1.10), while determinants of having single child among women comprised of older age (OR=1.08), greater social concerns of childrearing (OR=1.11), greater individualism (OR=1.31), lower concerns on consequences of having single child (OR=0.60), and greater idealism in child rearing (OR=1.71). These results reflect some sorts of transition toward greater internal controls on fertility decisions in developed urban areas such as Tehran, which is consistent with second transition theory.