Does schooling protect sexual health? The association between three measures of education and STIs among adolescents in Malawi

Mensch, Barbara S.; Grant, Monica J.; Soler‐Hampejsek, Erica; Kelly, Christopher V.; Chalasani, Satvika; Hewett, Paul C.

doi:10.1080/00324728.2019.1656282

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Considering qualitative evidence among adolescents in Zambia that childbearing outside of the context of marriage is generally perceived as negative among girls ( Austrian, Soler-Hampejsek, Duby, & Hewett, 2019 ; Svanemyr, 2019 ), it may be that High agency girls experienced the greatest disruption to future aspirations. This aligns with a hypothesis by Mensch et al which posits that school may be self-reinforcing such that with increasing grade attainment, girls may be more likely to envision a future less constrained by marriage and motherhood ( Mensch et al, 2019 ). These findings add to the understanding of what processes lead to early and unwanted pregnancy and how the effects of adolescent childbearing vary across subpopulations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The development of adolescent agency and implications for reproductive choice among girls in Zambia

McCarthy

Wyka

Romero

et al. 2022

SSM - Population Health

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Background A substantial proportion of adolescent girls in Zambia lack the ability to decide their reproductive future. We examined the role of agency in early and unwanted adolescent childbearing. Methods Using latent transition analysis, we characterized a multi-dimensional profile of adolescent agency annually over a four-year period. We investigated the influence of early life access to resources and time-varying predictors (school retention, violence, early marriage and unwanted/mistimed pregnancy and childbearing) on agency profile membership as well as transitions in agency status over time. Results Four agency profiles were identified, with differences by age cohort (10–14 years vs. 15–19 years). Three profiles identified in both age cohorts were: Low-moderate agency , Self-assured gender conformers , and High agency . Unique to younger girls was the Gender conscious, low belief in abilities status, while among older girls was the Self-assured selective gender conscious status. While younger girls were likely to transition to the highest agency status over time, high agency membership declined among older girls. Early life resources were associated with augmented agency while exposure to negative events, particularly early marriage, were associated with detraction from high agency status. Girls who expressed high self-efficacy but gender-conforming values were most at risk of early marriage and unwanted/mistimed pregnancy while High agency girls were at comparatively low risk. Conclusions Results show agency is dynamic but less mutable with increasing age. Early adolescent strategies which address inequitable gender norms and limit early marriage, may guard against losses to agency which contribute to unwanted fertility outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

The development of adolescent agency and implications for reproductive choice among girls in Zambia

McCarthy

Wyka

Romero

et al. 2022

SSM - Population Health

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“…A possible explanation is that in urban areas, girls who hold more equitable views are more likely to stay in school. Or, perhaps, as Mensch et al [43] hypothesize, grade attainment may be self-perpetuating in that the further a girl goes in school, the more likely she will be to see herself as a student with ambitions and a future that is not constrained to marriage and motherhood. Building on this, one can imagine that, in contrast to girls in rural settings, when girls in urban settings leave school, they may continue to perceive more opportunitiesdemployment options, exposure to more women who do not conform to traditional rolesdthat may reinforce their more equitable views.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Schooling on the Stability and Mutability of Gender Attitudes: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Girls in Zambia

Chae

Haberland

McCarthy

et al. 2020

Journal of Adolescent Health

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Inequitable gender norms are thought to harm lifelong health and well-being. We explore the process of gender attitude change and the role of schooling in shifting or reinforcing gender norms among adolescent girls in Zambia. Methods: We used longitudinal data collected from unmarried, vulnerable girls (aged 10e 19 years) as part of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program. We conducted random effects multinomial logistic regression to determine whether schooling-related factors were associated with shifts in adolescent girls' gender attitudes across three survey rounds and explored whether these relationships varied by age. Results: Mean gender attitude scores at the aggregate level remained stable over time among rural girls and improved slightly for urban girls. At the individual level, about half the girls had relatively unchanged scores, whereas the other half shifted to higher or lower scores between rounds. Rural and urban girls currently attending school were more likely to have relatively stable equitable attitudes than stable, inequitable attitudes, or attitudes that shifted to inequitable. Educational attainment was not associated with shifts in gender attitudes among rural girls. Urban girls with higher educational attainment were more likely to have relatively stable equitable attitudes than stable, inequitable attitudes, or attitudes that shifted to inequitable or more equitable. Conclusions: Patterns of gender attitude stability and change differed more for urban girls than rural girls and varied by age and schooling-related factors. In general, schooling appears to be an institutional lever that holds promise for shifting gender attitudes toward greater equality. Our study highlights the importance of looking longitudinally at the effects of social context and reinforces calls for targeted, context-specific interventions for this age group.

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“…The other third were out-ofschool adolescents living in the schools' catchment areas that were identified through key informants located at the school or in randomly selected school catchment villages. The ratio of students to out-of-school adolescents was based on the proportion observed in the 2004 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey [23,24].…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Education, Child Marriage, and Work Outcomes Among Young People in Rural Malawi

Soler‐Hampejsek¹,

Kangwana

Austrian

et al. 2021

Journal of Adolescent Health

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School attainment has increased and gender gaps narrowed in many settings without commensurate declines in child marriage and with persistent gender gaps in work. This paper investigates whether child marriage changes young people's ability to translate education into paid work in rural Malawi. Methods: Using data from a longitudinal study of adolescents in rural Malawi followed through young adulthood, individual-level fixed-effects regressions that account for time-invariant factors were used to investigate differences in child marriage status on the extent to which grade attainment, reading, and numeracy skills lead to higher participation in paid work and reduce participation in unpaid work. Gender differences in these relationships were explored. Results: Prevalence of child marriage is high for young women (53% vs. 6% for men), and participation in paid work low (7% vs. 42% for men). Attainment of six grades among young married women and nine grades among young married men was associated with paid work irrespective of child marriage. Reading with comprehension in two languages was associated with paid work for young men married as adults (coefficient ¼ .27, p .01). Numeracy was associated with paid work among unmarried young women (coefficient ¼ .04, p .01). Negative associations between grade attainment and unpaid work were found for young women married at ages 16e17 and unmarried, while positive associations were found for young unmarried men. Conclusions: The relationship between education and work among young people in Malawi is compromised by related challenges of poor learning and continued high levels of child and young adult marriage.

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Does schooling protect sexual health? The association between three measures of education and STIs among adolescents in Malawi

Cited by 9 publications

References 90 publications

The development of adolescent agency and implications for reproductive choice among girls in Zambia

The development of adolescent agency and implications for reproductive choice among girls in Zambia

The Influence of Schooling on the Stability and Mutability of Gender Attitudes: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Girls in Zambia

Education, Child Marriage, and Work Outcomes Among Young People in Rural Malawi

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