A method for continuously producing disposable pant-type articles from webs moving in a machine direction, the method including attaching a non-elastic crotch web between a tensioned elastic front panel web and a tensioned elastic rear panel web to form a coherent chassis web of interconnected precursor articles and attaching a pair of stretched crotch elastic members to the chassis web in each precursor article with the crotch elastic members being arranged in a cross machine direction, whereafter leg cuts are formed in the chassis web between the precursor articles, the chassis web is folded along a fold-line extending in the machine direction, first and second side seams are formed in each precursor article, along dividing lines between the precursor articles, the side seams being formed from the aligned waist edges of the precursor articles, to the leg cuts, and finally severing individual pant-type articles from the chassis web.

A disposable absorbent article may include a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region disposed between the first and the second waist regions, and a chassis having a topsheet, backsheet, absorbent core, and chassis periphery. The chassis periphery has a varying width, W.sub.v. The varying width W.sub.v has a first maximum width, W.sub.1, in the first waist region, a minimum width, W.sub.min, in the crotch region, and a second maximum width, W.sub.2, in the second waist region, wherein W.sub.1 is greater than W.sub.2.