Sexual Revolution In Iran? Drop In Country’s Birth Rate Indicates Wide Acceptance Of Contraceptives
Apparently the days of fully covered, veiled women are long gone in Iran. "These days Tehran makes London look like a conservative city," a British-Iranian acquaintance recently told Afshin Shahi upon returning from Tehran.
Last year, Iran's health ministry practically begged its citizens to get going and make more babies, doing away with the strict birth control laws that it had enforced for over 30 years. The country's annual birth rate dipped to 1.2 percent in 2012 from 3.9 percent in 1986, the fastest drop in human history. In response, the health ministry eliminated the entire budget of Iran's population control program.
But now, nearly a year later, it seems as though the wide acceptance of birth control may have had lasting effects on the Islamic Republic. According to Foreign Policy magazine, the average marriage age for men has increased from 20 to 28, and women are now marrying closer to age 30. More than half of Iranians are under the age of 35 and approximately 40 percent of adults who are of age to marry are single.
So what does all of this mean?
Basically, Iranians are enjoying having sex without the potential of child birth. And, as a result, they don't feel the need to get married as young. There is also a rebellious nature to this 'revolution,' where young people are changing their sexual habits as a form of resistance to the country's strict policies. Sexual freedom, in many ways, is an expression - whether conscious or subconscious - of a desire for political reform.
Sexual revolutions are good for the most part, but they are not without their negative consequences. In Iran, increased sexual promiscuity has also lead to increased abortion rates, sexually transmitted diseases, and mental illness. Prostitution has also become a problem in Iran during the revolution. A report by BBC News indicates that women in search of instant sexual gratification turn to male sex workers. The availability of Internet has made these short-term trysts more readily available.
But the Islamic-centered traditions of the past are not on their way out without resistance from the Iranian government. Last July, Iranian police began a new crackdown on "immoral and un-islamic" behavior. They began shutting down restaurants and coffee shops where they felt this kind of behavior was taking place.
"We are planning to provide the necessary education to these people so that they do not fall prey to those who intend to take advantage of them," said Mohammad Ali Erfanmanesh, a senior Tehran provincial official. "In this context, we intend to involve various cultural, social, police, judicial and security bodies."