The impact of marital life satisfaction on the number of children ever born to women: a study from Kashan, Iran

Objectve (s): The total fertility rate in Iran has reached below the replacement level. This has created many concerns regarding the future of the country's population among policymakers in various fields. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of women's marital life satisfaction on the number of live children born.

 A sample of married women aged 18-44 living in urban areas of Kashan, Iran in 2022, using multi-stage cluster sampling method, were surveyed. To measure marital life satisfaction, a standard questionnaire was used.

 A total of 385 women were studied. The findings showed that the mean number of live children born was 1.43 children per woman. The women’s marital life satisfaction was lower than the expected average and only 11% of the respondents reported a high level of marital life satisfaction. The results of the multivariate analysis showed that with the increase in the women's marital life satisfaction, the number of live children born increased significantly.

 The finding suggest increase in marital life satisfaction can increase the current level of fertility. Therefore, it is suggested that in the new population policies, attention should be paid to developing programs with the aim of improving marital life satisfaction.