One of the main changes in the Iranian social construction of reality has been in the area pertaining to the family and gender identity. The family structure and gender roles in the Iranian society are going through profound changes since the 1979 revolution. Delaying marriage, different perspectives on marriageability, avoiding childbearing, limiting the number of children per family, rise in cohabitation and alternative lifestyles, and articulation of choice in gender identity are creating a new culture of gender and family life in mostly urban settings. The change in the marriage and gender relations are even observable in their impact on demographic changes. Decline in fertility rate, a sharp rise in divorce rate, and a rise in the number of cohabitees and singlehood testify to a crisis in the conceptualization of the institution of traditional family. One of the main causes of the present crisis in family and gender relations is the continuation of archaic laws, rules, and norms governing the institution of marriage in the modern setting. A cognitive dissonance exists between customary perception of the family and gender roles, and the reality of those institutions on the ground. Radical abandonment of tradition is coupled with new modes of behavior and a rise in novel institutions such as “with marriage.” In this paper I argue that the fragile balance between traditional family and modern perception of gender relations is largely eroded, and a modern conceptualization of marriage and gender roles is taking roots. Contradictions between traditional conceptualization of marriage and gender relations and modern practices have led to a crisis in the institution of traditional family. The rise of various new forms of gender relationships and a reconceptualization of the institution of marriage into “white marriage” hints at a deeper overhaul of the traditional arrangements and perceptions of social reality.