The government of Malawi is currently undergoing
significant transformation in national policies,
stewardship, and commitments for family planning and
gender equality. Targeted advocacy has helped increase
funding for family planning and led to the addition
of a family planning line item in the national budget
(HPP, 2013). Malawi’s recently passed Marriage, Divorce
and Family Relations Bill represents a policy milestone
for family planning and gender equality advocates.
Specifically, it acknowledges the negative health
implications of early marriage and establishes age 18 as
the minimum legal age for all statutory and customary
marriages. The national Ministry of Gender, Children,
Disability and Social Welfare (MOGCDSW) also
recently launched a new institutional policy and fiveyear
strategic plan, which sets forth ambitious targets
and establishes the ministry’s central role in addressing
gender-based violence (GBV) (MOGCDSW, 2014).
The Health Policy Project (HPP), with support from
USAID and in cooperation with national policymakers
and advocates, undertook a systematic assessment to
better understand and document this dynamic policy
environment, as well as the challenges and opportunities
Malawi faces in implementing more gender-responsive
population and family planning policies. The assessment
included a desk review of current policies and a series
of key informant interviews that sought to (1) assess
the role and impact of gender stewardship mechanisms
on population and family planning-related policies and
programs and (2) document first-hand perspectives on
policy implementation.