Family Planning: The Hidden Need of Married Adolescents in Nepal

In Nepal, both early marriage and motherhood still place adolescents and their children at a great disadvantage. In 2011, one-third of girls aged 15-19 were already married. About 60 percent of them were pregnant or had at least one child, and one in ten had two living children (Nepal Demographic Health Survey, 2011). This brief aims to understand why married adolescents in Nepal have low contraceptive use and a high unmet need for family planning, providing policy recommendations based on a literature review, interviews with key-informants, and a comprehensive analysis of secondary data from household surveys (NDHS 2006-2011). Given that early childbearing in Nepal still occurs primarily within marriage, the brief addresses the needs of female married adolescents which are often overlooked by policy-makers. However, it is important to note that unmarried adolescents are progressively engaging in sexual activity in Nepal increasing their risks for contracting an STI or an unplanned pregnancy that warrants special attention.