Sociological explanation the impact of Modernization process on Family Structure (A comparison of rural and urban areas in Mazandaran province)

The institution of the family has undergone significant changes in Iran over the recent decades mostly due to modernization process, and such changes have caused structure of the Iranian family. This research seeks to survey family structure changes in the context of modernization in Mazandaran province. The research method is quantitative and the methodology utilized is sectional surveying. The statistical society is made up of all family all heads of households residing in the urban and rural areas of Mazandaran province that numbers 931002 households as the general census of population and housing in 2011 indicates. The sample size is 400. Based on cluster sampling method, the share of rural and urban households has been taken into consideration. The findings indicate that is significant difference between mean variables of family types, power structure and attitude to fecundity urban and rural areas with the error level less than 0.01 and the confidence level of 0.99. Also, the mean of dependency women and attitude to fertility was higher in areas urban than areas rural.On the other hand, that is not significant difference between mean variables of family relationship, attitude to marriage and attitude to age with the error level less than 0.01 and the confidence level of 0.99.Over the recent decades, the institution of family and the kinship system have experienced deep changes in their family structure level as a result of introduction of modernization processes and consequences (social, cultural, psychological and political modernization).