TEHRAN- Ensiyeh Khazali, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, has announced that families with quadruplets and more will be provided with houses free of charge.

The national budget law for the current Iranian year (March 2023-March 2024) has stipulated the provision of housing for these families completely free of charge, she said, adding that the law is apart from the family support law, IRIB reported.

Family support law

In September 2021, a program was prepared to support families with multiple births in line with population growth policies. This plan has been developed with the aim of developing social justice and providing social welfare for families with multiple births.

In November last year, President Ebrahim Raisi urged all responsible bodies and organizations to adopt national policies in line with the goal of population growth.

Raisi declared the “Law on Family and Youth Support" to the Judiciary for a 7-year implementation.

It was also declared to other ministries including the Health Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Education Ministry, as well as the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs.

The plan stipulates health insurance for infertile couples, providing services and facilities to working women, providing health and nutrition support packages to mothers and children, educational opportunities for student mothers, providing livelihood support to families, and ongoing medical services to pregnant women.

The national budget bill for the current [Iranian calendar] calendar year, which began on March 21, has proposed 120 trillion rials (nearly $240 million) to implement childbearing and family support plans in the country.

Also, as per the Law, children, and family allowance of all different groups of employees in the relevant institutions, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and also faculty members of universities and research institutions, judges, and retirees will increase by 50 to 100 percent.

The Law also describes the conditions for maternity leave. The duration of maternity leave was increased to 9 months with the payment of all salaries and related bonuses, and if the mother requests, up to two months of this leave can be used in the final months of pregnancy, which is 12 months for the birth of twins and multiples.

Couples who have their third child benefit from government incentives such as land, so that in cities with a population of fewer than 500,000 people and more, half of the land is allocated to the mother and another half to the father.

In cities with more than 500,000 populations, the land will be given to families with 3 or more children in new cities or nearby cities.

Over the [Iranian calendar] year 1410 (March 2031-March 2032), the elderly population will reach 13.5 million people, which is 14 percent of the country’s population, and Iran will officially be an old country.

Currently, the elderly population is 9.2 million, which constitutes 7.10 percent of the country's population.

MT/MG