Pathology of Family; Analyzing Causes and Effects

Family in the Iranian-Islamic culture is a sacred institution. However, the Iranian family is currently suffering from many problems and crises. Using a descriptive-analytical and documentary method, this paper analyzes the causes and effects behind the problems and crises in Iranian families. The findings indicate that, various changes have taken place in Iranian families, including marriage criteria, philosophy of marriage, reducing the total fertility rate (TFR), increasing the age of spouses in marriage, reducing marriage rates, increasing the rate of youth celibacy, increasing divorce, decreasing cultural attraction of marriage, decreasing family and kinship functions in matrimony, changing family educational functions, decreasing parental authority, decreasing confidence, decreasing solidarity and social capital of the family, decreasing sanctity of the family institution and etc. Some of the factors behind these changes are, family secularization, family planning policies, divorce, women’s employment, increasing the age of marriage, the effects of feminism, social and cultural beliefs, new changes in Iranian lifestyle and mass media.