Climate Shocks and Constrained Choices: Understanding Child Marriage As a Process In Disaster Contexts In Malawi

Background and Purpose:
Child marriage in Malawian communities is tied to economic insecurity and social vulnerability, both increasingly shaped by climate-related disasters. While poverty, gender inequality, and social norms are recognized as contributing factors (Nour, 2009; Efevbera & Bhabha, 2020), less attention has been given to how these influences combine during disruption to shape decisions. Floods and cyclones are more frequent, affecting livelihoods, schooling, and access to protection systems (Asadullah et al., 2021). These disruptions occur in contexts where households operate with limited safety nets, intensifying pressure on families to make decisions. These challenges intersect with global priorities, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality (SDG 5), education (SDG 4), and climate action (SDG 13), highlighting the need to understand how child marriage emerges amidst these pressures in Malawi.

Methods:
The analysis is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders engaged in child marriage prevention across Malawi. Participants included practitioners, staff, and policy actors in non-governmental organizations, government institutions, and United Nations agencies with disaster and emergency experience. Recruitment followed purposive and snowball sampling strategies (Creswell, 2009; Patton, 2015) to capture variation across sectors and levels of engagement. Interviews were conducted in person and via Microsoft Teams and focused on how child marriage unfolds during and after disaster events. Participants were asked to reflect on child marriage in emergency contexts. Transcripts were coded inductively using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Coding was supported using MAXQDA, focusing on patterns related to uncertainty, resource constraints, and shifting household priorities.

Findings:
Participants consistently pointed to disruption as the main driver of shifts in decision-making dilemmas. Loss of income, school closures, and displacement were described as conditions that force families to reassess options under time pressure. In these situations, marriage may be considered as a solution to meeting needs such as food, safety, or social expectations, even when long-term consequences are understood. Several participants described how decisions are made through negotiation within households. Rather than reflecting a fixed cultural practice, child marriage appears as something that takes shape within constrained environments. Accounts across interviews highlight how economic strain, social expectations, and limited alternatives converge to create conditions for child marriage, particularly in communities affected by repeated disasters. Participants also noted that weakened community monitoring structures, reduced access to services, and disruption of schooling narrow protective pathways for girls.

Conclusion and Implications:
Efforts to address child marriage in Malawi need to reflect the conditions under which decisions are made, particularly during instability. Approaches centered on awareness or norm change may have limited reach if families continue to face constrained choices. Strengthening social protection systems, ensuring continuity of education during and after disasters, and providing targeted support to vulnerable households are critical steps. There is a need to integrate child marriage prevention into disaster preparedness and response efforts, including early warning systems, school continuity plans, and community-based protection mechanisms. For social work practice, this emphasizes the need to engage with broader structural conditions that shape vulnerability and decision-making during crises.