Investigating the relationship between women's independence and fertility behavior of the studied sample of married women aged 15-49 in Shiraz.

Master's Thesis in Demography

Abstract

Investigating the relationship between women's independence and reproductive behavior

(Case study: women aged 15-49 in Shiraz city)

Despite the different conditions that many women around the world are under they live there, population growth rates have decreased dramatically over the past 30 years. Reproduction is a key factor in women's lives, and fertility is inextricably linked to the role of women in society. Due to the fact that women are considered to be the main cause of reproduction, their status and position in the society can affect their reproductive behavior. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between women's independence and their reproductive behavior. The statistical population of this research includes women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) living in Shiraz and the sample size was 384 people. The sampling method is a multi-stage cluster that was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using spss software at two descriptive and inferential levels. Parsons' theory of action and the theory of available resources were chosen as the theoretical framework of the study. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between women's education, women's spouse's education, life skills, women's age, spouse's age, marriage age, age difference with spouse, and media consumption with reproductive behavior (after the number of children), and communication network and decision-making independence, and economic independence with reproductive behavior (after the interval between the first and second births). Also, the structural equation analysis showed that women's independence affects fertility behavior through the variable of social empowerment.

Key words: independence, fertility, available resources, action, women, Shiraz.

Introduction

The issue of fertility and its consequences is very important for the health and continuity of society, because the only way to supply the population and continue reproduction through It is fertility. Although a part of the population needed by a society can be provided through immigration, in the end, we will have to pay attention to the category of fertility and child bearing. It should be noted that any policy-making about population trends in the future and the adoption of any action plan require knowledge and understanding of the factors and determinants of fertility (Hosseini and Begi, 2013: 74). Fertility, as one of the population components, is the most important factor of change in population structure, which plays a determining role in the economic and social development of societies at the micro level (family) and at the macro level (society). On the other hand, due to the fact that in patriarchal societies, having children is very important, the position and base of women is often related to the number of children they give birth to, as well as the gender of the baby, and as a result, women want to raise their status and position to the level of men through having children.

One of the contemporary social changes is the educational revolution of women and their extensive participation in various fields of society. Today, considering the constructive role of women in the development of societies, it is of particular importance to remove their backwardness from various economic, social, political and cultural aspects and to empower them. One of these important aspects is the decision-making power of women. Experts have come to the conclusion that the equality of men and women in the social, political, economic and cultural decision-making of society is one of the ways to realize concepts such as democracy, equality, development and social justice (Saroukhani, 2014: 30).

Although women have a long history of doing work inside and outside the home, what is clear is that men still have more decision-making power at home. The small participation of women in decisions related to home affairs and family life is associated with adverse consequences, one of which is high childbearing and women's inability to properly plan domestic affairs and thus wasting their time.

Despite the existence of different conditions under which many women live around the world, population growth rates have decreased significantly over the past 30 years (Ali Mandgari, 2014). Reproduction is a key factor in women's lives, and fertility is inextricably linked to the role of women in society. Considering that women are considered the main factor of reproduction, their position and position in the society can affect their reproductive behavior.

Population and its related issues are among the multidimensional and complex issues of human societies, which are also influenced by various factors..

Population and its related issues are among the multidimensional and complex issues of human societies that are influenced by economic, social, cultural, political and other factors. And it also affects it. It can be said that population issues and changes and developments related to it are not influenced by a specific formula or theory, but in different time and place conditions, they have different and diverse and sometimes conflicting causes. The population and its related issues as a social issue are among the issues that have caused the most confusion in this field. For example, the phenomenon of fertility is one of the important dimensions of the population, which in some countries, encouraging policies are applied to increase its rate, and in another society or country, due to its increase, punitive policies are applied (Ziai Begdeli et al., 2016).

Iran has experienced one of the fastest declines in fertility in the world. Its decrease in fertility by more than 50% in a decade is not unique and special only for Muslim societies, but it has not been reported elsewhere (Wahidnia, 2007: 259). Fertility developments show that the total fertility in 1365 was equal to 6.3, in 1375 it was equal to 2.52, and in 1385 this figure for the whole country has decreased to 1.8 and in 1390 to 1.5 children (Iran Statistics Center, 1390). Reducing child mortality, increasing urbanization, improving the health network system, developing villages, re-establishing family planning programs, increasing literacy and education, especially the literacy of girls, reducing the number of children desired by the family and finally improving the position and relative base of women are among these (Abbasi Shawazi, 2000, A and B); Mirzaei, Aghajanian and Mehyar, 1999). Regarding the factors influencing the decrease in fertility in Iran, the increase in education and improvement and the relative position and base of women are among these factors in explaining the transfer of fertility in Iran (Ali Mandgari, 2014). Extensive changes in the roles of women in society have led to the increase of the presence of women in social arenas. With the increase of independence in different aspects of their life, they experienced a higher status and base compared to previous decades. This created a context of change in reproductive actions (behavior, tendencies and fertility ideals) of women.

Independence [1] of women is defined as a state or quality of self-management [2], self-determination and independence, which may indicate a better presentation of the degree and access, control and independence of women in their decisions. (Abadian[3], 1996).

Deason and Moore [4] define independence as the ability of a person to access information and use it to make decisions about personal matters and also in relation to others (Deason and Moore, 1983: 45; Jeji Boy and Sattar [5], 2001: 688). Also, independence is the degree of women's access to (and control over) material resources (including food, income, land and other forms of welfare) and social resources (including: knowledge, power and prestige) in the family, in the community and in the society (Dixon [6], 1987: 6).

Jeji Boi defines independence as women's control over their own lives so that they, like their husbands, have equal rights in family matters and over financial resources and Other sources are control, access to knowledge and authoritative information for independent decision-making, freedom from restrictions on physical mobility and the ability to build equal power relationships within the family (Jeji Boy, 2001: 688).

Dimensions of independence from the point of view of Jeji Boy (1995), include five separate but interdependent parts that can be recognized as the importance of fertility-education relationship:

1- Informational independence [7]: Educated women have a wider worldview. They have more understanding of alternative lifestyles and have more doubts about power and tyranny. 2- Decision-making independence [8]: Education strengthens women's ideas and opinions in decisions related to their well-being and life. This means women trusting themselves more in making decisions and expressing ideas and opinions and participating in family discussions. 3- Physical independence [9]: Educated women have more connection with the world around them. Women who study have more freedom of movement and more self-confidence in using available services.

4- Emotional independence[10]: Educated women change their honesty and loyalty from extended family relationships to married families and there are fairer relationships between couples, there are more restrictions and intimacy between two couples and parents and children, and such women are more aware of their value and deny and deny themselves less.