The Management of Unwanted Pregnancy among Women in Nairobi, Kenya

Qualitative data gathered from women in Nairobi, Kenya, were used to explore decision making in relation to unwanted pregnancy. Gender, livelihoods, morality, marital status, and male partners exerted extensively complex and multidimensional influence on women’s management of their unintentional pregnancies. For instance, although gender norms were frequently invoked to justify terminating unwanted pregnancies, they also regularly provided strong motivations for carrying such pregnancies to term. Urgently needed are programs and policies that not only support women to avoid unwanted pregnancies, but also help them to respond safely and pragmatically to such pregnancies when they occur.