examining the phenomenology of couples' reluctance to childbearing

Objective: the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating couples' perceptions of their reluctance to childbearing.methods:  the approach of the current research was qualitative and phenomenological. the research participants were 12 couples from yazd, who were selected as a purposive sample. interviews were conducted until the point of saturation was reached. the research tool used was a semi-structured interview, and the data analysis method employed was smith's approach. to establish the validity of the data, the opinions of various qualitative researchers and research participants were sought.results: finally, couples' perceptions of their reluctance to have children were obtained, resulting in six main themes and sixteen sub-themes. in response to the question regarding the formation of the grounds for couples' reluctance to have children, the themes of changes and cultural and economic conditions were identified. the theme of replacing pets and friends was also obtained in response to the research, for example, replacements of couples for not having children.conclusion: the findings of the investigation into couples' perceptions of their reluctance to have children revealed that it is influenced by the realities of life in the present era. to improve the situation of decreasing desire to have children, policymakers should apply solutions based on the facts of couples' perceptions.