An Exploration of Subjective Adulthood in Mexico, Mozambique, and Nepal

Abstract

In post-industrialized nations, the transition to adulthood is evolving to reflect the needs of new economies, the role of education in human development, and the expected responsibilities of adolescents in households (Settersten, Furstenberg, and Rumbaut 2005). As globalization spreads, researchers predict these evolutions in the meanings of adolescence and adulthood will take place in less-developed countries as well. However, the relevance of the concept of “delayed adulthood” to low-income contexts is unclear. Few studies have examined subjective perceptions of adult identity in low-income settings, and the factors that contribute to that feeling are not well understood. In this paper, we compare young people’s subjective sense of adulthood in Mexico, Mozambique, and Nepal, drawing on household-based survey data from the Family Migration Context and Early Life Outcomes Project (FAMELO). We draw on the transition to adulthood literature, as well as contextual factors when building our models. Initial results from ordinal logistic regression models contrast with theory on the transition to adulthood. In Mexico, household wealth has a positive relationship with the frequency of feeling like an adult whereas no relationship exists in the other two contexts. School enrollment is related to feeling less frequently like an adult, but only in Mozambique. We also find contrasting results across field sites. The completed paper will refine these models and further discuss the theoretical implication of results.