Fertility, education, and household resources in Iran, 1987–1992

• Published in: The Economics of Women and Work in the Middle East and North Africa Vol. 4; pp. 311 - 337
• Main Author: Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 10.05.2001
• ISBN: 9780762307142; 0762307145
• ISSN: 1094-5334
• DOI: 10.1016/S1094-5334(01)04017-1

The two most important changes in the lives of Iranian women in the last ten years are rapid decline in fertility and rise in their educational attainment. The prevailing view on the recent fertility decline attributes fertility decline primarily to an energetic family planning program. In this paper I examine the relationship between fertility and education using cross section data. Analysis of two household surveys taken in 1987, and in 1992, shows a close association between education and fertility. I conclude by noting that, in the absence of increased opportunities for women to work outside the home, the observed relationship between fertility and education is likely to derive from the lower cost of child education for more educated couples, which leads households to substitute quality for quantity of children.