The Effect of Social Networking Mechanisms on Fertility Intention of Women in Urban Areas of Bushehr Province

The basic hypothesis of social networking theory is that important decisions such as childbearing adopted by individuals in their lives can be affected by these networks. Despite the numerous and valuable studies conducted in explaining fertility in Iran, less attention has been paid to the role of social networks in fertility decisions in an independent and coherent way . One of the key questions in this context is that through which mechanisms do social networks influence individual’s fertility intention? Study Sample consisted of 600 ever-married women in urban areas of Bushehr who were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling procedure. The results of the study indicate that by controlling  of  age, number of live  children, education and employment, social networks  have an important influence on women’s fertility intention. Logistic regression showed that social pressure, social contagion and social support have a positive effect on fertility intention, while negative social learning has an opposite effect on women’s fertility intention. Since social networking mechanisms are changing along with the nature of modern life, studying social network across times and spaces is essential for adopting appropriate fertility policies.