Influencing Factors on the Ideal Number of Children in Sistan and Baluchestan Province

The recognition of childbearing behaviors  and childbearing ideals among ethnic- religious groups in the multi-ethnic societies and its determinants plays an important role in the understanding of specific characteristics of fertility cultures, structure and population composition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influencing factors on the ideal number of children in Sistan and Baluchestan province. The research method was survey and data collected using questionnaire. Statistical population included men and women aged 18 to 65 years in Sistan and Baluchestan, from among them, 413 people have been selected through multi-stage cluster sampling method. The findings indicate that most people identified two children as the ideal number of children and this number was greater among non- Baluch (41 percent) respondents than Baluch respondents (28 percent). The result of multivariate regression shows that use of broadcasting and newspaper, and modern gender attitude have negative and significant effect of ideal fertility and age, household cost, ethnicity, and ritual dimension of religiosity have positive and significant effect on the ideal number of children. Moreover, the effect of other variables on ideal number of children is influenced by the religiosity (ritual dimension).