Family, Support and Choice: Making Family Planning Relevant to Girls’ Lives
In Ubon Ratchathani, 520 Grade 11 girls explored how family, relationships, health and finances connect with their future choices.
Family planning is shaped by the people girls live with, the roles they see at home and the sources they trust for advice. Understanding this context helps make learning relevant to the decisions girls may face in their own lives.
🌱 The Family Context Girls Bring
The baseline showed varied, often multigenerational family arrangements. While 55% of girls lived with both parents, 26% lived with neither parent. Maternal grandparents were part of 46% of girls’ households, compared with 17% for paternal grandparents. Girls also commonly identified their mothers as income earners (85%), alongside their fathers (78%).
When asked whom they would consult about sexual health or relationships, 68% selected parents or guardians, 47% friends and 46% the internet. Fewer named health professionals (34%) or teachers (6%). On the pre-workshop test, 86% selected “I don’t know” when asked about counselling and support services.
Financial security was the most frequently mentioned factor in readiness for starting a family, cited by 63% in open-ended responses. Fewer girls mentioned caregiving, health or education. Future plans varied too: 32% did not want children or had no current plan. These findings point to the value of discussing family planning through the realities of family support, reliable information, shared responsibilities and each girl’s own goals.
📚 Connecting Learning to Real Life
In August 2026, Pratthanadee Foundation delivered the Family Planning workshop—the second in the Better Me for Girls programme—to 520 girls from three schools in Ubon Ratchathani.
Through games, paired reflection and six realistic scenarios, participants explored consent, contraception, sexual health, unintended pregnancy, the costs of raising a child and where to seek support. Girls could discuss sensitive situations without having to share personal experiences. Each received a booklet with learning and referral information, along with a notebook and piggy bank to practise tracking expenses before the programme’s next financial planning workshop.
📈 Building Knowledge and Confidence
Average test scores rose from 47% before the workshop to 88% after it, and 92% of girls improved their scores. Positive ratings across the five feedback areas ranged from 96% to 99%. Among matched responses, the proportion of girls who mentioned at least two dimensions of family readiness increased from 32% to 42%.
One participant reflected:
I have the right to say no— Participant, Buntharik Wittayakarn Schooland choose what is good for me.
Family planning education can help girls consider the family and social realities around them while making informed choices about their own futures. The Better Me for Girls programme will continue with workshops on Financial Planning and Claim Your Rights.
Data note: Percentages reflect valid responses to each question. Participants could select more than one household member or advice source.
