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

Abstract

This report presents 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 to understand how early and unintended pregnancy contributes to the social exclusion of adolescent mothers in Blantyre, Southern Malawi, where close to one in three adolescent girls begin childbearing before their nineteenth birthday. The study combined a quantitative survey of 669 pregnant or parenting girls with qualitative interviews involving 57 participants across urban and rural Blantyre, examining experiences at health facilities, in schools, and within families and communities. It documents how early childbearing frequently triggers expulsion or voluntary withdrawal from school, with lasting socioeconomic consequences for both adolescent mothers and their children, who are similarly excluded from societal benefits due to their parents' poor socioeconomic status. The report also explores interventions that could support adolescent mothers' continued education and economic empowerment, offering evidence to inform policies and programs aimed at improving the wellbeing of pregnant and parenting adolescents in Malawi.