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Estelle McLean, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Maria Sironi, University College London
Amelia Crampin, Karonga Prevention Study
Emma Slaymaker, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Albert Dube, Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit
Rebecca Sear, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
There is global evidence that ‘social adulthood’ may be occurring later, which may have impacts on individuals and communities. This analysis used detailed, prospectively collected data from rural Malawi between 2004-2016, conducting cross-sectional and sequence analyses to describe transitions to adulthood and assess whether their timing is changing. In 2016, on average, women left school at age 19, first left their family home at age 20, married at age 19 and had their first child at age 20. Men completed the same transitions at slightly later ages: 22, 24, 24, and 25 respectively. The average age for all markers for women had increased by 1 year since 2004. The picture was more complicated for men in that transitions to education and marriage increased by 1 year, but transition to leaving home decreased by 1 year, and there was no change in age at first birth, suggesting that the order of transitions may be changing. Most people followed a pathway from leaving school and leaving home to marriage and children, albeit at different paces. Delayed adulthood and continued attendance at school increased over time for both sexes, however there remained women who transition quickly to marriage and children with minimal education.
Keywords: Children and youth, Longitudinal studies, Family demography
Presented in Session 201. Patterns in Markers of Transitions and Associated Factors