Rojas Arangoitia, V. y Campos Flores, A. (2026). Trayectorias en tensión: género, desigualdad, maternidades tempranas e interrupción de la secundaria en el Perú. Lima: UNFPA Perú.

What happens before a teenage girl drops out of school?

This study examines how inequalities that accumulate from childhood onward can limit educational continuity and opportunities for girls, adolescents, and young women in Peru.

Based on more than 20 years of data from the Niños del Milenio (Young Lives Peru) longitudinal study and a qualitative analysis conducted in Sullana, the report shows that dropping out of secondary school is rarely the result of a single event. It is the result of trajectories progressively strained by educational, family, economic, and territorial factors, intersected by gender relations. Early motherhood and cohabitation, caregiving responsibilities, dynamics of control, and violence can exacerbate existing disadvantages and restrict autonomy and life plans.

The study proposes protecting educational pathways through comprehensive responses that integrate education, social protection, care, and prevention and response to violence, with timely, relevant interventions tailored to each region. It provides evidence to strengthen public policies that enable every adolescent to complete their education and fully realize their potential.

The report was published by UNFPA Peru and prepared by researchers from GRADE, with CIES as the implementing partner and with financial support from the Government of Canada.