A Negative Relationship between IQ and Family Size in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Many studies have shown a small negative correlation between intelligence and fertility in developed countries. Several studies have provided evidence of a similar relationship in developing countries, notably in several Arab nations. The present study contributes to this body of research by testing whether this small negative relationship also exists in a poor region of the Sultanate of Oman, thus contributing to the important issue of understanding whether intelligence is in decline beyond the West even in poorer areas. The study used a sample of 1406 students aged 10 to 19 years from schools in the Dhofar Governorate in Oman. The correlations between children’s IQ and family size and between parents’ education and family size were computed, with parent education being a robust proxy for intelligence. This yielded a small negative relationship between children’s IQ and their family size, and a moderate-sized negative relationship between parental education and family size. It is concluded that there is a negative relationship between education and fertility in Oman and that this suggests a small negative relationship between parents’ intelligence and the number of their children. These data suggest that at the genetic level, intelligence is slowly declining in the Arab world although test scores are still rising due to educational and economic advances. Key Words: Intelligence, Fertility, Oman, Dysgenics