What matters in shaping key transitions through adolescence?

Evidence from four countries

Frances Winter and Paul Dornan

www.younglives.org.uk@YLOxford

1. Vital importance of the early years. But potential for later recovery

2. Marked differences in learning at the time children enter school3. During school years poor children often get less good

opportunities to learn. Not inherent – Vietnam bucks the trend4. In second decade, great variation in trajectories. Gendered

differences emerge strongly, tied to future opportunities. But not a simple story of girls always most disadvantaged

5. Key adolescent transitions– leaving school, marrying, changes in work, family ill-health or death and migration create ‘cliff edge’ differences between adolescents

6. The future -> high aspirations for social mobility – will it happen?

In summary…

Young Lives The developing young lives story

2

Improving living standards but

ongoing inequalities

Unequal pathways through childhood and adolescence

Early is best but it’s never too late

Responding to the multidimensionality

of child poverty

What’s different for adolescents?• Most of second decade of life is still

childhood

• Huge potential to improve later chances – a second critical window

• ‘Peak youth’ - 1.8 billion people between 10-24 years of age

• Child poverty – old and new pressure Old: inadequate living conditions and risk New: social pressures and norms

What are the key adolescent transitions?

Transitions•Puberty and physical growth•Transitions between schools•Leaving school•Household changes •Migration•Marriage/cohabiting•Becoming a parent•Work trajectories

Consequences of poverty on transitions?•Timing•Extent•Impact

“Transitions refer to changes in status that are discrete and bounded in duration, although their consequences may be long-term.” George, 1993

… but all taking place within a life course

Three transitions

School

Marriage

Work

SchoolWho is out of school at age 15?

Poor children’s experience of school exit shaped by 1.Poverty directly (need to work; cost of schooling & equipment); 2.Opportunity costs (future ability to get a well paid job/ use new skills).3.Experience of school itself (eg. violence, quality, sanitation)4.Institutional triggers/ design

School, work & boys’ responsibilities When I was fishing, I was not arriving at school on time. Because of that, the teacher sent me out of the class … he said “Go back home”

Gemechu, Ethiopia

WorkPoor children’s experience of work shaped by1.More likely to need to work; practical difficulty & high opportunity costs of staying in school2.Stopping work doesn’t automatically increase chance of going to school. Role of social protection support.3.Gender, location, siblings & economy key4.Evidence of (uneven) trends in children’s work over time.

Contributing to the household in PeruIn 2009, following a drought, 14-year-old Esmeralda took a job as a farm hand during weekends and holidays, earning around 3.5 US dollars a day. She was able to pay for her schooling, clothing and food, thus saving her mother these expenses.

MarriageChildren’s age at marriage shaped by 1.Gender, poverty and rurality2.Local practices and norms 3.Current experiences of school and work 4.Future risk and opportunity

Ill health, marriage & the futureWe never thought of marrying her so soon. I have high blood sugar and blood pressure problems and I suffer with kidney problems also. If I die who will take care of the girl? People are always ready to slander a girl if she is alone.

Ameena’s mother, Hyderabad

So what?1. Transitions magnify impacts: translating poverty in

childhood to later outcomes. They are also points which can be programmed for (eg. transitions between schools);

2. But transitions occur in a life course. Many positive effects for children flow from improving what comes before (eg. low education results) and after (eg. marriage and job prospects)

3. Policy implications?• Key services: quality education; accessible health

services; underpinning social protection• Prevention early losses; Sustaining gains through

adolescence; Providing a pathway to the future

Background to Young Lives studyBackground

•12,000 participants giving their time and experiences

•Focus - causes & consequences of child poverty

•Child and household survey, qualitative reports and school based data

•Survey publically archived; 400 published papers

•Currently seeking funding to carry out round 6 and 7