Assessing Fertility and Nuptiality Differentials of Rural and Urban Iran

Delayed marriage and non-marriage were the important factors of fertility decline in the classic case of Western Europe [8,1] and in some parts of Eastern Europe [16]. Changes in age structure of marriage, though not so much in the proportion of non-marriage, have also been observed along with trends of fertility decline in the recent history of some Eastern Asian Countries see, for example, [6,17]. In light of these historical cases it is natural to ask what is, and will be the relative impact of nuptiality and fertility change on the growth of populations in developing nations which remain high in fertility and traditionally are married young and nearly universally.