Perceptions, Experience and Use of Family Planning in Southern Malawi

Malawians have been able to freely use contraceptive methods since 1994 but on average Malawian women bear 5.7 children (DHS, 2010), and the contraceptive prevalence rate amongst all women using modern methods is 33% (DHS, 2010). As a result, the population of Malawi is growing quickly, and affecting the livelihoods of women, and contributing to negative maternal health outcomes (Campbell et al., 2006). This study aims to examine why women are not ready, willing or able, using Coates theory of fertility decline (Cleland et al. 2010) to use modern family planning methods, taking social constructions and their experiences into account.msc_inhunpub2314_ethesesunpu