Religious Affiliation and Childbearing Preferences of Iranian Women

Religious differences in fertility are one of the essential issues in health and demographic research in Western societies. However, they have received less attention in Muslim countries. This study aims to investigate Shiite and Sunni religious groups’ childbirth preferences in Iranian society. It also seeks to analyze their differences based on socioeconomic and demographic factors. We used data from 1020 married women aged 18–44 surveyed as part of Iran’s National Family Survey in 2018. The study was designed quantitatively with a cross-sectional approach, and samples were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. SPSS26 was used to run logistics and Poisson regression models. The results revealed that the means (± SD) of ideal family sizes for Shiite and Sunni women were 2.6 (± 1.0) and 3.4 (± 1.3) children, respectively. Sunni women (49%) had a higher intention to have a (or another) child than Shiite women (35%). According to the multivariate analysis findings, religion alone significantly affected the ideal family size, even when other socioeconomic and demographic variables were controlled. However, it had no significant effect on the intention to have a (or another) child within the next three years. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that within the specific social structure and cultural context of Iran, religion has explanatory power regarding childbearing beliefs and values. Furthermore, regarding fertility intentions and behaviors, demographic and socioeconomic factors become more important than religion.