A study of population dynamics on gender equality in Iran (An emphasis on population composition)

Demographic changes can affect all facets of development, including gender equality, as one of the main components of development. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between changes in population composition and gender equality in Iran during 1956-2011. The relationship is studied with a descriptive-analytical approach using secondary data and time-series models at national level. The data was obtained from Statistical Center of Iran’s population time series and various censuses’ data. Findings suggest that Composite Gender Equality Index improved considerably during the study period, and urbanization, age structure of the population, as well as women’s average age at marriage, significantly affected the composite index of gender equality. Besides, AR (1) and MA (2) components of the fitted Arima model have expectedly shown significant effect on the gender equality’s variations. Three independent variables, aggregately accounted for 33 percent of gender equality’s variance during the study period.