🔶 Mother at the crossroads of inflation; From millions of diapers to the abolition of women's health.

🔶 Mother at the crossroads of inflation; From millions of diapers to the abolition of women's health.

Reporting by Omid Bryan

The birth of a baby promises hope and the beginning of a new season in the parents' lives. But in today's Iran, under the heavy burden of rampant inflation, continued devaluation of the currency and eroding sanctions, this sweet event is associated with deep and abiding anxiety.

Although the official policy insists on encouraging birth for years, the reality of people's lives and the official statistics indicate the growing reluctance of Iranians to have children. Against the background of the brutality of the market and the high back-breaking prices, even traditional and comforting beliefs such as "God himself is the provider" have lost color and no longer contradict reality.

Behind the cold mask of economic tables and graphs, these families, especially mothers, are subject to the burden of this crisis. Women, in the absence of effective support umbrellas, are forced to make bitter choices every day between providing their baby's basic needs and maintaining their physical and mental health.