Explaining the Challenges Related to Childbearing from the Perspective of Married Women Aged 15-49: A Qualitative Study

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Background:Childbearing is an important component of population science and the field of social issues.In recent years, there has been an increasing need for a deeper understanding of people's desire to have children.Also, it is necessary to identify the direct and indirect influencing factors of these conditions.This study aimed to explain the challenges related to childbearing from the perspective of married women aged 15-49.Methods: The current qualitative study was conducted in 2023 using conventional content analysis.The research setting was where people lived and worked in Khalkhal city.A purposive sampling method was used, following the principles of maximum diversity.After obtaining informed consent, individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded with 24 women of reproductive age.Data collection continued until saturation was reached.The five-step method of Granheim and Lundman (2004) was used to analyze the data. Results:According to the analyzed interviews conducted with married women of reproductive age, four main categories in the field of childbearing were derived.These categories include economic challenges (financial problems and problems providing housing and life necessities), personal and family factors (maternal career challenges, parental mental and physical problems, individualism and avoidance of parental concerns, gender and desired number of children, and inadequate family support), social and cultural factors (unguaranteed future, adoption of social modeling, lack of child-rearing facilities and ineffective and inadequate childbearing policies) and labor phobia during childbirth (unpleasant experience and difficult childbirth and pregnancy experience).The most important challenge in childbearing was economic issues with the most recurring concept in the interviews.Conclusion: The adoption of social modeling from society and the norm of low childbearing rate in society, economic and social issues on the one hand, and women's individualistic tendencies and avoiding child-rearing concerns on the other hand, lead families to low childbearing.This requires the adoption of policies and facilitating strategies to improve childbearing behavior.The results of this study can provide a small picture of the current state of willingness and unwillingness to have children in society and serve as a guide for officials in short-term, medium-term, and long-term planning to increase childbearing desire.

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