The Middle East has seen a dramatic shift in marriage patterns over the past 20-25 years. Professor John Casterline, director of OSU’s Institute for Population Research, and the Robert T. Lazarus Professor in Population Studies, Department of Sociology, tells us about marriage ages getting older and more people choosing not to marry, among many other fascinating details about marriage and childbirth in the Middle East. He also gives a global perspective on those topics especially with regard to the global decline in childbirth. These “facts on the ground” elicit fascinating questions about family and everyday life in the Middle East, while also shedding light on some major differences between countries of the region. We touch upon recent history in terms of jobs, migration, flow of ideas across borders, the role of extended family, and much more that might surprise you.