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. Thanks for watching and make sure to like and subscribe for new

videos every day.