Unpacking the linkages between school drop-out, pregnancy and gender inequality in the post-conflict setting of West Nile, Uganda

Background:  The causal relationship between adolescent pregnancy and school dropout remains unclear. Both are influenced by gendered norms and expectations and in post-conflict settings additional factors may exacerbate poor health and social outcomes for girls.    We examine these linkages in post-conflict West Nile, Uganda, where drop-outs rates are among the highest in the country. 

Methods:  Mixed-method data were collected in two districts-  a survey of 800 girls ages 14-18 from randomly selected households; and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with a subset of surveyed girls (n=26).  The survey included a unique calendar instrument, collecting education, reproductive health, relationship and other data by person/months beginning at age 12.  We use these data to develop a taxonomy of different life trajectories for girls’ transitions to adulthood.

Results:  Of the surveyed girls, 10.4% had been pregnant at least once and 8% had had at least one child.  31% were no longer in school; average age of drop-out was 14.9. Taxonomies will be developed identifying the most common sequencing of events for girls with a focus on sexual debut, romantic relationships, marriage, pregnancy, and school drop-out, critically assessing causal order and how conflict and gendered norms have influenced girls’ transitions to adulthood.

Discussion/Conclusion: Unlike most cross-sectional study designs, the retrospective calendar method informed by qualitative data will provide insight into the temporal relationship between drop-out and pregnancy, and how gender norms and conflict shape girls’ lives.  The results will inform programming investments in girls’ education and reproductive health in this and similar post-conflict settings.

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Learning Areas:

Program planning
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify the methodological limitations to examining the relationship between drop-out and pregnancy, and the influences that gender norms and conflict may have on these processes, as identified in the literature to date. Assess the main pathways to a girl’s transition to adulthood in the West Nile region of Uganda Discuss the implications of the main pathways identified for programs aimed at improving the reproductive health and education outcomes of girls in post-conflict settings

Keyword(s): Youth, Reproductive Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have over 10 years of experience conducting mixed-method research on the social and structural determinants of women's and girl's sexual and reproductive health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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