fereshte danesh

In the last three decades, childbearing in Iran has decreased more than many countries in the world. The aim of this study was to explore the fertility motivation of Working women and their husbands and discover which one determines the number of children.

This correlational study was conducted on 540 employed, married women and their husbands (270 couples) living in Mashhad, Iran, during 2017–2018. The participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Then, a random number table was used. Subsequently, questionnaires were distributed and completed at home, and collected after 24 h. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form and the Childbearing Questionnaire (CBQ).

The mean(SD) positive motivation scores of men and women differed significantly [92.77 (13.04) Vs. 92.22 (13.51) df = 4; p = 0.001;]. The mean (SD) negative motivation scores of men and women also differed significantly 55.42 (10.94) Vs. 56.78 (10.57) df = 4; p = 0.001;].

According to the scores obtained for the positive and negative fertility motivations of working women and their husbands, women were more in favor of having children and had an ambivalent motivation to bear children. Moreover, the working women’s spouses were more indifferent to fertility. The results of this study can help reproductive health policymakers in childbearing.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the quality of couples' relationship with fertility desires of working women and their spouses.

This descriptive correlational study was performed on 270 married working women and their spouses (total 540 couples) from 2017 to 2018 in Mashhad, Iran. Questionnaires of Couples’ Relationship Quality and Miller Reproductive Motivation were completed. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 24 after ensuring the correctness of data entry.

In this study, a total of 540 people (270 couples) were included in this study with a mean age of 34.46±6.61 years for women and 38.15±6.97 years for men. There was a significant difference in the scores related to the quality of the relationship between men and women (P=0.001), which indicated that the average scores of couples' relationship in the group of working women is higher than their husbands. The mean of positive motivations in men and women was also different significantly (P=0.001). Furthermore, the mean of negative motivations in men and women was significantly different (P=0.001).

The scores of the questionnaire of Couples’ Relationship Quality are directly related to the desire of fertility in working women. This in turn can affect the desire to have and raise the children. Therefore, paying attention to the quality of couples' relationship and strengthening and improving these relationships is suggested as a suitable way to promote mental health, happiness, and satisfaction of the marriage life.