Determinants of Delay Marriage among Girls in Iran

The age at marriage for males and females has increased considerably over the past three decades in Iran. Marriage delay and changing marital patterns have many consequences and implications from a socio-demographic viewpoint. Postponing of marriage affects the length of the childbearing period as well as the length of subsequent generations. The aim of this article is to explain the marriage delay of girls in the context of socio-economic development and women's status changes in Iranian society. The research is based on secondary analysis of the 2016 Iranian census for 428 counties. The results showed that marriage delay for girls aged 25-29 years old is more than 30 percent in about 10 percent of the counties under study. According to the results, marriage delay of girls in Iran follows certain geographical and cultural patterns; girls who live in west regions, delay their marriage more than girls living in other parts of the country. Furthermore, marriage delay can be explained proportionately by the proportion of male singlehood, marriage squeeze, female autonomy, male unemployment rate and development level of the county. Therefore, policies like reducing regional developmental gaps and employment rates for men can help in decreasing girls’ marriage delays.