Marital formation and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic: survey-based evidence from Iran

Abstract With a representative survey of 1214 participants conducted in early 2022, this study investigates the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and marital formation and childbirth dynamics in Iran. The results of the empirical investigation using logit models suggest that the experience of unemployment due to the pandemic is positively associated with getting married during the pandemic, and the experience of losing a close relative or family member is negatively associated with getting married. In addition, concerns about the persistence of the pandemic and the vaccination status show negative associations with childbirth during the pandemic. We found heterogeneous results depending on gender, location, and social class; for example, the negative associations of concern about a prolonged pandemic and vaccination status with childbirth are statistically significant in the female subsample but not in the male subsample. Overall, the results have implications for the development of the fertility rate and population in post-pandemic Iran.