Comparative Analysis: Policies Affecting Family Planning Access for Young Women in Guatemala, Malawi, and Nepal

This comparative analysis examined the family planning needs of young women in Guatemala, Malawi, and Nepal, and how the policy environment shapes their access to services. In all three countries, adolescents make up a significant proportion of the population, and economic and social environments place barriers in the way that these women seek to achieve their sexual and reproductive health goals. Partly as a result, compared to older women, adolescents have the lowest use of family planning and highest unmet need for services. While the policy environment, as measured by the checklist used in this assessment, ranges from very supportive to highly supportive of adolescent access to family planning information and services, what matters most is how well the countries implement these policies.