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Background and purpose: There is paucity of information on the role of religion on fertility behavior. This study aimed at evaluating the relationship between religious beliefs and fertility behavior among women of reproductive age in Mashhad, Iran.
Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 844 women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age) who were selected via multi-stage and convenience sampling in Mashhad, 2016. The participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Attitudes toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale, and Khodayari Religious Attitudes questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS V16 using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, independent t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate regression analysis.
Results: Multivariate regression analysis showed that higher scores in religious beliefs were significantly associated with childbearing desires at the time of marriage, at present, and in ideal conditions in all age groups (P= 0.001). Higher scores in religious beliefs were associated with older ages of mothers at the first childbirth, increased actual interval between marriage and first childbirth, and desired number of children and actual child (P= 0.05). The average number of actual children in women with highest scores in religious ­beliefs was just 0.1 higher than that of women with lowest scores.
Conclusion: Higher levels of religious beliefs were associated with greater tendency towards fertility and high fertility. But, the number of children in these women was negligible and they had delayed childbearing. These findings highlight the need to identify and resolve the barriers for fertility in woman with higher levels of religious beliefs.
 
 

Keywords: religious beliefs, fertility, childbearing, delayed childbearing

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