Trend Analysis of Country Household Composition (1996-2006)

Population censuses, as rich resources to find knowledge of demographic characteristics, are used to survey main characteristics of households in Iran that have wide application in planning, socio-economic and cultural policymaking. One of the most difficulties in demographical studies is the composition of households and analyzing the trend of changes during time. In this paper, the trend analyses of household composition during 1996-2006 are studied. Since knowing about what reasons made these changes can lead to make a correct planning, by using some characteristics of the head of households, these changes are discussed. It’s a descriptive study based on censuses information of two years in 1996 and 2006. This study is about household composition regarding the relationship between the members of the household and the head of household in 2006 and comparison of household composition changes in 1996-2006 periods in Iran. Investigation of the portion of the different kinds of household change and investigation of the head of household characteristics such as age, economic activity status, marital status and literacy status in different household types are the other objectives that are discussed. The structural manner of household composition in different provinces in 2006 and the situation of welfare facilities in different households are also studied. By a statistical log linear model, the association between types of household and some household welfare facilities are discussed. The most important finding is the change of household composition between years 1996 and 2006, difference between some characteristics of the head of the household in different types of household and also the difference between the structures of household composition in provinces in 2006. Also some association between types of household and some household welfare facilities such as car, computer and housing are found, by using a statistical log linear model. Although the greatest part of household composition in our country is married couple family with child(ren), the external circumstances show that the proportion of these households who have the traditional pattern of household composition, is decreasing from two aspects. On one part, the proportion of single parent households has an increasing trend and from the other part, the proportion of one-person household, individuals who live alone, is increasing. The mentioned changes that reflect increasing rate of divorce and life expectancies follow several bad results and it is necessary that authorities consider a cure (such as demonstrating special facilities, building psychosomatics consulting centers etc.) for the social, cultural and economic requirement of this growing population that live in one-person households or single parent households.