The Social Problem of Raising the Age of Marriage in Iran: Factors and Contexts (Case Study: Boroujerd County)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Demography, Faculty of Social Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Ayatollah Boroujerd, Boroujerd, Iran

10.22059/jisr.2025.378385.1519

Abstract

The institution of the family in Iran has undergone profound changes in recent decades due to the process of modernization and demographic transformations. The trend of delayed marriage has become a significant demographic and social challenge, as a result of the increase in the average age of marriage. This article seeks to investigate the factors that contribute to the rise in the age of marriage in Boroujerd.
 A questionnaire serves as the primary research instrument in this investigation, which implements a survey methodology. A review of the scholastic literature on family and marriage identified nine socio-economic factors and demographic variables that appeared to influence the postponement of marriage. These factors were then formulated as research hypotheses. In Boroujerd, the statistical population comprises never-married men and women between the ages of 20 and 45. A sample of 537 individuals was selected from the population through simple random sampling in various regions of the city.
The results suggest that the average age at first marriage in Boroujerd is being influenced by a variety of important factors, including the challenge of meeting marriage requirements, economic capability, and acceptance of gender equality. The difficulty of marriage conditions was the most significant contributor to the increase in the age of singleness among these factors, emphasizing its prominence in comparison to other factors that affect delayed marriage.
In recent years, these results have underscored the critical role of socio-economic variables in the formation of families and marriage patterns in Iran. Given the significance of these changes, macro-level demographic planning and policymaking must include a significant focus on them.

Keywords

References

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