Cohort replacement and familism in Iran

The prominent feature of Iranian society, familism, has changed in recent decades. This study investigates the effect of cohort replacement on these changes. For this porpose, we analyzed WVS data during 2000-2020 and Wittgenstein center data. Demographic pyramids based on education reveal that cohort replacement has significantly transformed Iran's demographic composition. All cohorts accept the family as a totality and there is a consensus on its importance. However, differences are considerable when it comes to behaviors within the family. The younger generations’ attitudes are more radical. Divorce and abortion acceptance are higher among them. Most of them consider marriage as an outdated institution; fewer believe that having children is a social obligation or taking care of parents is the responsibility of children. The familism varies significantly between cohorts and the difference between the 1990s cohort with their predecessors is more evident. They experienced different socialization. They have been raised in an era in which mass media and the Internet evolved, which positively affects young people's formation of modern thoughts. The 1990s cohort has a higher disbelief, secular and post-materialist values that decrease familism. The expansion of these values and continuation of the cohort replacement will lead to a further decline in familism in the future. However, government policies can accelerate or slow down this process.