Transitions to adulthood in developing countries

Abstract

The study of transitions to adulthood in developing countries merits a review that considers new developments affecting specific spheres of life. High unemployment rates in certain job markets, new health vulnerabilities, and modified preferences regarding marriage types, all within a framework of poverty, manifest in a world in which fewer certainties result in new ways of experiencing the transition to adulthood. The objective of this article is to review recent literature on interactions among the spheres of school, work, sexuality, family formation, health, political expression, and citizenship of adolescents and young adults in developing countries. Scholars are identifying diverse life paths and observing transitions to adulthood at different ages and modalities within the same society. © Copyright ©2014 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.