In 2015, Amnesty International called for Iran to block a bill that would restrict access
to contraceptives and sex education.
In recent years, Iran has been trying to bump up their birth rates since a severe drop in
population growth during the 90s.
The Iranian government has even introduced an official matchmaking website.
So, what is Iran’s population control problem?
Well, the lack of population growth can be attributed directly to back-and-forth birth
policy.
Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a number of ground breaking women’s rights laws were
passed in Iran.
They mostly changed the status of women from second-class citizens to autonomous members
of society.
However, the 1979 shift from a secular progressive state to an Islamic theocratic republic, revoked
these new rights.
Their religious leader demanded an increase in population in the hopes of building a 20-million-member
army.
By 1986, Iran had one of the highest growth rates in the world, and in just ten years
jumped from a population of about 34 million to 50 million.
This averaged about seven children per woman, compared to roughly four and a half children
per woman worldwide.
But in 1989, Iran’s new religious leadership made a complete 180.
They began to worry that the country’s food, education, housing, and employment sectors
would not be able to keep up with the growing population.
To stem growth, the country instituted a two child-per-family limit, and encouraged widespread
contraception, including condoms, pills, IUDs, and surgery.
The Iranian government even imposed certain penalties on having too many children, including
a loss of food aid and no paid maternity leave.
By 2001, birth rates plummeted to just under 3 children per woman.
The drop in population growth was so successful that in 2006, Iran’s new president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, restarted efforts to raise the population again.
This time from 70 million to 120 million.
He argued that because the West’s average population growth was dropping, Iran would
triumph by increasing their own.
However, many of the issues leading to the original birth restrictions still remained,
including inflation, mass unemployment, and even a potential lack of water for the surging
population.
In their attempts to reverse earlier policies, Iran has since ended birth control subsidies
and passed a bill that would treat vasectomies and tubectomies like illegal abortions.
Iran’s religious leader has also apologized for pushing contraceptive policy well into
the 1990s, calling it a mistake.
Despite criticism of increasing Iran’s population in the face of economic and resource shortages,
there is little chance of Iran reversing itself a fourth time in the near future.
In their attempts at population boosting, Iran’s government has set up a matchmaking
website to appeal to tech-savvy youths.
Check out Seeker Daily’s video up top to learn more about their version of a dating
app.
And to find out just how powerful Iran really is, watch our video below.
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