Childbearing

Objective: Considering the significance of population and its optimal growth in Iran, the present study examined the low motivation of young couples for childbearing in Shiraz by developing a conceptual model using a quantitative approach. Methods: This research is applied in terms of its goal. The statistical population of this study includes all young couples without children in Shiraz in 2021 (based on the 2016 census, approximately 14% of couples are childless). According to the population size, the number of questions, Cochran's formula, and the G-power sample adequacy index, the approximate sample size consisted of 300 young childless couples, who were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, and based on factor analysis, the conceptual model of factors was explained and extracted. To test the model, the structural equation modeling approach was employed. The software used in this research was SPSS and AMOS. Findings: The results showed significant differences between the component of economic support and the components of personal growth inhibition, body self-concept, semantic attitude, communicative attitude, and social judgment. According to the model's fit indices, it was observed that the X2/df index was equal to 3.70, which is at an acceptable level. Additionally, the values of the RMSEA index were 0.08, CFI was 0.843, FMIN was 3.21, NFI was 0.798, ECVI was 3.70, and IFI was 0.844, all of which were at an appropriate level. Therefore, the model had a good fit. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it is recommended that researchers focus on improving attitudes in the areas of body self-concept, social judgment, semantic attitude, and communicative attitudes regarding childbearing.

Although the era when children were primarily considered as a source of labor for the familyhas largely passed, the procreation of children remains indispensable for societal continuity.Views on children have shifted from characterizing them as the “private property of the family”to recognizing them as a “public good.” While children may not satisfy all the criteria of a purepublic good, it is widely acknowledged that society bears a significant role in the upbringing,education, and, ultimately, the costs associated with children. Nonetheless, although theconception of a child as a personal property of the family has changed, extensive governmentalintrusion into family privacy is similarly not accepted. This article employs a descriptive-analytical approach to examine arguments for and against this perspective, drawing on theoriesof public and socialized goods, with a focus on Iranian legislation. Children, due to their potentialbenefits, such as their future roles as workforce and taxpayers, exhibit characteristics of a publicgood; however, philosophical, legal, economic, and cultural challenges limit this interpretation.Iranian laws, particularly the Family and Youthful Population Support Act (2021) and Article3 of the Child and Adolescent Protection Act (2020), recognize government responsibility andmark a step toward conceptualizing children as public goods. This article posits thatwhetherchildren are characterized as public goods or as socialized goods, an obligation is thereby createdfor non-parents and, consequently, for the state as the representative of the nation, to share in thecosts associated with them.