Brief: Understanding the Experiences of Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents in Blantyre, Southern Malawi

Abstract

This brief summarizes findings from a mixed-methods study conducted by the Centre for Social Research at the University of Malawi and the African Population and Health Research Center on the experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents in Blantyre, Southern Malawi. Close to one in three adolescent girls in Malawi begin childbearing before their nineteenth birthday, and early childbearing frequently initiates a cycle of social exclusion that often begins with expulsion or voluntary withdrawal from school, with lasting negative consequences for girls' health, wellness, and socioeconomic prospects. Drawing on a survey of 669 pregnant or parenting girls and qualitative interviews with 57 participants across urban and rural Blantyre, the underlying study examined how adolescents and their families experience and navigate early and unintended pregnancy. This brief condenses the study's key findings and recommendations into an accessible format for policymakers and program implementers, highlighting interventions that could support adolescent mothers' education, economic empowerment, and overall wellbeing.