According to state estimates, the birthrate in Iran is around 1.8 children per woman — too low to be sustainable. Last year, the nation banned vasectomies and permanent forms of birth control in women in an effort to encourage pregnancies. And now, Iran has launched its own state-run matchmaking website with the goal of making 100,000 marriages in the next year.
On Hamsan.Tebyan.net, singles can list what they're looking for in a potential spouse. A board of mediators then reviews the applicants and makes decisions based on age, education, wealth, family background, level of faith, and religion. The government hopes that its website will help singles make connections and find spouses more comfortably, as they have increasingly eschewed the tradition of being set up by familial and local matchmakers.
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