Drivers of low fertility intentions among university faculty in southeastern Iran: A qualitative case study

This qualitative case study examined reasons for low childbearing intentions among university faculty in southeastern Iran. In 2024, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with faculty members at three universities in Bam, recruited via purposive snowball sampling. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional inductive content analysis in MAXQDA 2020, and analysis proceeded until thematic saturation was achieved. Seven main categories emerged: Physical Reasons (advanced age, reduced physical/psychological capacity, perceived clinical risks after age 35), Personal Reasons (late marriage, heavy responsibility of childrearing), Educational/Employment-Related Reasons (work commitments; prioritizing higher education and delayed entry into the job market), Economic/Material Reasons (high inflation; insufficient income among faculty members), Structural Reasons (lack of social support; childrearing framed as human-capital investment), Future-Related Reasons (uncertainty about the desired future), and Paradigm-Shift–Related Reasons (generational gap and changing values regarding childbearing; evolving roles of women). Across participants' accounts, Economic/Material, Educational/Employment-Related, Structural, and Future-Related Reasons interacted to increase perceived costs and reduce perceived control. Findings are context-dependent and support analytic rather than statistical generalization. Policy and institutional discussions should prioritize affordability, work–family compatibility, and supportive infrastructures—specifically quality-assured, accessible childcare and predictable leave with smooth re-entry—tailored to higher-education settings with similar institutional and sociocultural conditions.