Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Allameh tabatabaei university
Abstract
In recent years, significant obstacles have emerged regarding marriage and childbearing among university students and graduates. The higher education system, from a policy and legal standpoint, bears responsibility for addressing these challenges. However, not only have these obstacles remained unresolved, but they have also been recurrent across different governmental periods. This recurrence suggests that the barriers are structural in nature, and since laws and regulations constitute a key component of any structure, it can be inferred that many of these issues originate in the legal frameworks governing higher education, rather than merely in managerial discretion or performance.
Accordingly, this study seeks to answer the question: How and through what processes do recurring barriers to childbearing in the higher education system stem from its laws and regulations? Employing a process-tracing method, the study first identifies key recurring challenges. In the second step, in-depth semi-structured interviews with higher education managers and experts were conducted to investigate the causes. In the third step, by examining relevant laws and regulations identified in the previous phase, a causal chain was mapped to illustrate how these legal instruments contribute to the creation of such barriers. The study concludes that without revising legal framework, the reproduction of childbearing barriers within the higher education system will likely continue.
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