Journal of Population Association of Iran

Journal of Population Association of Iran

Childbearing Within Bounded Rationality: A Grounded Theory Study in Isfahan, Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sahar Rezaei 1
Ali Ruhani 2
Abbas Askari-Nodoushan 3
Maliheh Alimondegari 4
1 PhD Candidate of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
3 Professor of Demography, Department of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
4 Associate Professor of Demography, Department of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
10.22034/jpai.2025.2044340.1377
Abstract
Childbearing is simultaneously a biological and profoundly social behavior, significantly influenced by social norms. Moreover, it is a behavior in the realm of private decisions of couples carrying a heavy burden of future responsibilities for them. Thus, it is fundamentally a decision based on couples' bounded rationality. Given the recent decline in fertility rates, this study examines the socio-cultural contexts underlying anxieties related to childbearing among voluntarily childless couples and couples with a single child. Utilizing a qualitative approach based on Strauss and Corbin's systematic Grounded Theory methodology and theoretical sampling, the research conducted 30 in-depth interviews—15 with individuals from voluntarily childless couples married for at least three years, and 15 with individuals from couples who intentionally have only one child aged over five years. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, and analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding. The core category identified in the research is "childbearing as bounded rationality," and the central phenomenon is "altered cognitive frameworks." The findings indicate significant shifts in couples' cognitive structures, with rationalism and individualism at the core, facilitating the rational decision to remain childless or to have only one child.
Keywords
Childbearing
Voluntarily Childless
Single-child couples
Bounded rationality
Isfahan
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Journal of Population Association of Iran

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 April 2025

  • Receive Date 26 October 2024
  • Revise Date 10 December 2024
  • Accept Date 14 December 2024