Changes in the Transition to Adulthood in Less Developed Countries

Over the past century, there have been significant changes in the prevalence, density, and complexity of transitions to adulthood in the United States and Europe. Analyses of change in less developed countries have largely focused on one or two transitions in isolation. This article examines whether recent increases in female school participation, the timing of marriage, and socio-economic changes in Africa and Latin America have influenced the timing and pattern of the entire transition to adulthood. Using data from countries with Demographic and Health Surveys 12–15 years apart, we analyze how the distribution of status combinations (education, employment, marriage, and childbearing) has changed over this period for women aged 15–30. Heterogeneity analysis is used to describe the changes in the complexity of status combinations. Although we find little change in transition complexity for women older than 20, there is evidence for shifts in the distribution of status combinations at any given age.