Background: Fertility is an important determinant of population dynamics and a key topic in demographic and public health research. This study aimed to assess attitudes toward fertility and childbearing among childless female teachers working in the education system of Gorgan, Iran, in 2023.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 465 eligible female teachers were recruited using systematic sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form and the validated Persian version of Söderberg et al.'s Attitudes to Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS). The data were analyzed in SPSS software version 19, using analysis of variance, independent t-tests, and Pearson’s correlation. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.42 ± 6.95 years, and the mean fertility attitude score was 55.65 ± 11.01. No significant association was found between the fertility attitude score and teachers’ education level, spouse’s occupation, employment status, homeownership status, or type of contraceptive method (P-value range: 0.31 to 0.92; all P-Value > 0.05). However, Pearson’s correlation analysis showed positive correlations between the fertility attitude score and both age (r = 0.10, P-Value = 0.03) and their work experience (r = 0.11, P-Value = 0.02). Additionally, the relationship between the fertility attitude score and both household income level and spouse’s education level was borderline significant (P-Value = 0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest a significant relationship between age and work experience and attitudes towards fertility among female teachers in Gorgan. A positive correlation between older age/more work experience and a more favorable attitude toward fertility may be attributed to factors such as personal maturity, job stability, and psychological economic security. Therefore, cultural policies and programs related to fertility for this group could focus on creating supportive conditions for job stabilization and reducing stressors during the early years of service, aiming to foster a more positive experience of combining employment and childbearing.
