Family Planning and Female Empowerment in Iran

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani

Chapter 18 in Women, Work and Welfare in the Middle East and North Africa:The Role of Socio-demographics, Entrepreneurship and Public Policies, 2016, pp 507-523 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: This chapter examines the impact of an important Iranian government policy — the construction of rural health clinics and promotion of family planning — on the fertility and education of rural women. The evidence shows that the direct effect of family planning on fertility was rather modest: at best we can attribute one-fifth of the decline in fertility to the presence of clinics in villages. But the government's push to win acceptance of family planning played a crucial role in helping women to overcome the traditional norms against women's participation in the fertility decisions of the family. The newfound ability of young rural women to seek independent advice from health practitioners shifted power over this important family decision from men and the extended family to women. At the societal level, it broadened the definition of a ‘good Muslim woman’ from one who obeys her husband and primarily engages in childbearing and domestic work, to one who has a say in important decisions about childbearing and child education.

Keywords: Middle East and North Africa; Women's Welfare; Gender Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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