Cultural, Social and Security Implications of Population Decline

The purpose of this article is to study the cultural, social and security damages resulting from population decline in the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent decades. The research method of this study is based upon library studies and documentary and demographic work, and population decline and the damages associated with it, i.e. population aging, fertility decline and Western lifestyle, have been studied. Recent country census figures indicate that population fertility has declined to lower than 2.1 which is indicative of population decline, and the fertility rate in the current census has declined to 1.86 which is too low to make generational replacement possible. The findings of the present study indicate that, during a period of twenty years, the aging of the population in Iran has increased from 7% to 14%, and with the current trend, the population aging rate will reach 22% in 2042. Accordingly, the country will soon be faced with such consequences as increased welfare and healthcare costs due to population aging. The reduction of marriage rates and the increase in the age of marriage from 18 to 23.5 years for girls, as well as the definitive bachelorhood of a part of the population of girls in the reproductive age and the prevalence of single-child families are all colonial plans and reflect the individualistic and humanistic lifestyle which pursue material welfare, facilities, wealth and pleasure. This kind of lifestyle is in conflict with the manifestations of religious lifestyle such as sacrifice, cooperation, and struggle for the comfort of others. Also, women's employment with the aim of financial autonomy from men and their gender authority is in the cultural basket of the Western world's materialistic lifestyle. All things considered, making changes in the age, sex and religious composition is the plot of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution.