Talat khadivzadeh - a. Associate Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran b. Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University Medical of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Reihane Rajati - MSc Student of Counseling in Midwifery, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Habibollah Esmaeili - Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research center, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran
Fereshte Danesh - MSc in Clinical Psychology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Background & aim: In the last three decades, fertility has undergone a significant decrease in Iran. It seems that women's employment could affect this declining trend. It might also affect the quality of marital relationship as well as fertility motivations. Given the dearth of research in this topic, this study designed to measure the relationship between the current and desired number of children with quality of marital relationships and fertility motivations among employed women and their husbands in Mashhad, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 270 employed women and their husbands in 2018 who were selected through randomized cluster sampling technique. The data were collected through a demographic as well as Miller’s marital relationship quality and fertility motivations (1995) questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24), using Spearman, analysis of variance, least significant difference (LSD), Kruskal-Wallis, and regression analysis tests. Results: Current number of children had a positive relationship with positive fertility motivations in women (P=0.002) and marriage duration (p <0.001). Desired number of children also had a positive relationship with quality of marital relationship (P=0.008) and positive fertility motivations in employed women and their husbands (P=0.001). Conclusion: As the findings indicated, the current number of children and positive fertility motivations was significantly associated with marital relationships quality and positive fertility motivations in women and their husbands. Therefore, a plan should be developed for improving marital relationships quality and positive fertility motivations in employed women and their spouses.

Childbearing, Childbearing Duality, Fertility Motivation, Employed women, Marital Relationship Quality