WANA (Jun 07) – From the streets of Tehran to the late-night café conversations in Shiraz, and even in remote villages of Khorasan, a quiet question echoes among a new generation of Iranian women: “Do I have to become a mother?” But this seemingly simple question reveals a profound duality—not just about childbearing, but about lifestyle, female identity, and the future direction of a nation.

An Iranian woman at in a cafe in Tehran, Iran, December 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA

Yes, the Economy Is to Blame—But It’s Not the Only One

Iran’s economic crisis is real: soaring inflation, unaffordable housing, insecure job prospects, and wages that barely cover basic living expenses. Official statistics show that the average age of marriage is rising, and the population growth rate has dropped to its lowest level in 50 years. Projections suggest that if the trend continues, Iran’s population could fall from 90 million today to just 30 million by 2101—an elderly and rapidly aging society.

 

But economics is only part of the story. Many educated, financially stable couples in major cities are still choosing not to have children. Why? The answer lies in deeper layers of psychology and culture.

Iran is in a critical situation in terms of population growth and in the coming years will face negative birth growth. An Iranian family playing together in their home, in Tehran, Iran October 7, 2020. Picture taken October 7, 2020. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Between Freedom and Motherhood: A Ruthless Trade-off

Sahar, a 35-year-old language teacher in Isfahan, says: “I love kids—but my own? No. Because I would stop being me. I couldn’t travel, stay up reading, or learn a new language anymore.”

 

One often overlooked factor in Iran’s demographic crisis is the transformation in the meaning of family. For older generations, family meant support; children symbolized legacy, honor, and social security. But today, for many women and men, family has become a source of tension, pressure—and sometimes even trauma.

 

Many couples speak anxiously about discussing childlessness with their parents. Narges, an IT specialist in Tehran, says: “Every time my mom sees me, she asks when I’ll have a baby. But she’s never once asked if I even want to be a mother—or whether my husband would share in raising the child.”

 

Traditional family pressure, gender inequality, and lack of psychological support have turned what should be a nurturing institution into a battleground.

A Family gathering around Sofreh and having meal. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Laws Exist—But They’re Just Ink on Paper

In recent years, Iranian governments have introduced pro-natalist policies: extended maternity leave, childbirth loans, hiring preferences for parents, and more. But implementation is the problem. Maternity benefits are often unpaid or delayed.

 

Private companies rarely comply, following their own internal rules. In practice, support for working mothers remains mostly symbolic. Many employers even avoid hiring married women or mothers to cut costs.

 

For many Iranian women, motherhood still equates to housebound isolation, loss of independence, and personal sacrifice. There are no reliable support systems, daycare is limited or unaffordable, and job security after childbirth is fragile at best. Under these conditions, motherhood feels less like a life stage and more like the end of a life fully lived.

Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran December, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Lessons from Uzbekistan and Japan: Can They Be Applied?

Countries facing similar population declines have experimented with solutions.

 

In Uzbekistan, policies such as housing loans, targeted maternity leave, flexible working hours, and workplace childcare facilities have helped increase fertility rates.

 

Japan, after a severe population dip, has worked to balance work and life by expanding parental leave, subsidizing daycare, reducing extreme working hours, and even pushing for free childbirth services.

 

The result? While population growth remains a challenge, the cultural environment around motherhood is shifting. Motherhood with independence is slowly being normalized—and Japan is moving cautiously out of its demographic crisis.

Iran is in a critical situation in terms of population growth and in the coming years will face negative birth growth. Many of Iranian families have only one child. Barana, the only child of an Iranian family, with her mother is seen at her home, in Tehran, in Tehran, Iran October 19, 2020. Picture taken October 19, 2020. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

What Can Be Done in Iran?

Perhaps a better question is: What must change in Iran for childbearing to become a meaningful and viable choice again?

 

1. Redefining Motherhood:

Modern women should be able to be mothers and socially active, creative, and independent individuals.

 

2. Real Support Systems:

The government must offer tangible support—paid parental leave for both parents, free or heavily subsidized daycare, on-site childcare at workplaces and universities, guaranteed job return after maternity leave, and meaningful financial support during a child’s early years.

 

3. Cultural Narrative Shift:

Media and religious institutions need to promote new models of motherhood—ones that align with the realities and aspirations of modern women.

 

4. Restoring Family as a Supportive Institution:

Motherhood should not equal isolation or sacrifice. Fatherhood must become active, visible, and involved—not merely symbolic.

Iranian women walk at the Tehran Bazaar in Tehran

Iranian women walk at the Tehran Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, April 14, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

What we see in Iran today is not merely an economic crisis, but a deeper crisis in the meaning of life itself. The decision not to have children, while personal, has become a collective issue. And the solution lies not in money or slogans, but in an honest redefinition of motherhood, fatherhood, and family.

 

As long as a woman feels that becoming a mother means losing her identity and freedom, childlessness will remain the most rational choice. But if this alarm bell is heard clearly, it might mark the beginning of a more humane reimagining of family in the modern era.