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The path to gender equality begins with reproductive choice.
The benefits of supporting girls to stay in school are far-reaching. When girls can access an education, they are better able to pursue a career, create opportunities in their communities, and drive positive change in wider societies.
Just one more year of school can increase a woman’s earnings by up to 20%. But girls need access to reproductive choice to get there.
Analysis from MSI Reproductive Choices found that if adolescents had access to the information and services they need to make informed reproductive choices, millions more girls would remain in school every year.
Read more about the role of reproductive choice in girls' access to education
Women who have access to quality education and reproductive choice are better prepared to lead, and help build a more equal, sustainable world.
In public life and leadership roles, research has shown that women are more likely to make decisions that benefit family and community life and lead initiatives focused on sustainability, to combat the climate crisis.
“Every girl has her life to live and we are choosing to take our destiny in our hands. My mother dropped out of school at age 19 and my two aunties did the same. My ambition is to go to university and achieve my dream of becoming a lawyer. But I have to protect myself to see my dream come true.”
Blessing, a teenage girl in Nigeria
“I grew up in a rural community where teenage pregnancy and early motherhood were normal. We never had any education on reproductive health and rights, and as a result I had friends who died from unsafe abortion. It wasn’t until university that I learnt about contraception and safe abortion. During my first year, I couldn't help but wonder, if my classmates had this information, if my own family members had this information, I probably wouldn't have been the only one who attended university.”
Esi Asare Prah, Youth Focal Person and Advocacy Officer for MSI in Ghana
Aisha* is a young Senegalese woman in her late teens. She lives in a coastal town in the north of the country, and when we spoke to her, she was just about to finish her final year of school.
Having seen many of her peers drop out of school due to unintended pregnancies, Aisha wanted a different future. That's why she came to MSI, where a caring healthcare provider helped her pick the method of contraception that worked for her.
Watch Aisha's story
We have a long path ahead of us before every girl has access to a high-quality education and reproductive choice.
In Niger, 1 in 2 girls will give birth before their 18th birthday, while only 1 in 100 will finish secondary school. Across many of the countries that MSI works in, teenage girls are almost twice as likely to want access to contraception, but not yet have it.
This lack of choice leads to unintended pregnancies, forcing girls to drop out of school, robbing them of their education, and in some cases, their health and lives.
At MSI Reproductive Choices, we are working towards a world where every woman and girl has access to the reproductive choice they need to stay in school, to lead, and to build a more equal world for all.
In 2022, we supported nearly 2 million adolescents to access reproductive choice, so they can pursue their own futures. Now, we need to work in partnership to make this a reality for everyone.
A fairer future is within reach, we need your support to get there.
Reproductive choice changes lives. Together, we can make choice possible for women and girls, giving them what they need to thrive.
When girls complete their education, they unlock a world of opportunity. They can pursue a career, break the cycle of poverty and build a more gender-equal, sustainable world.
Keep up to date with all things related to reproductive choice and rights. Sign up to our newsletter and join our community of reproductive rights advocates.
Whether you give time, money, or expertise, your investment could benefit women and families for generations to come. Want to join our vision and help us make choice a reality for everyone?
