Youths' Transition to Adulthood in Oromia Region, Ethiopia: Reproductive Endeavors and Successes
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Date
2024-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The transition from childhood to maturity is a journey, not a destination. It is a time of exploration, growth, and transformation. Young people's transition to adulthood entails managing a number of changes as they choose their future paths and adjust to these life-changing events. As a result, it is a crucial phase in human development wherein youths transition from childhood and take on new roles and responsibilities. The study differentiates between reproductive endeavors and the reproductive successes of youths as they can have different implications for youths. By considering the life course theory as a framework, the study attempted to assess youths' reproductive endeavors and success in the Oromia National Regional State of Ethiopia. The interest in the life course theory is to investigate how people's lives progress over time. The theory contends that various factors shape people's lives, including individual characteristics, familial and social networks, and the historical and cultural context in which they live. The study employed a mixed-method approach; while the quantitative data were drawn from 2005, 2011, and 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys, the qualitative data were collected from youths residing in the Oromia regional state using an in-depth interview. The study used a variety of analysis techniques. First, sequence analysis was employed to identify the reproductive trajectories of youths and make an inter-cohort comparison of these trajectories on three different synthetic cohorts. Secondly, flexible parametric survival models were fit to explore the factors that shaped the reproductive trajectories. Thirdly, a decomposition analysis was employed to explain the gender gap in the reproductive transition of youths. Finally, the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis using MAXQDA software. First, the study focused on identifying the patterns of reproductive trajectories among youths in Oromia, Ethiopia. Three reproductive role indicators were utilized, and four different typologies of reproductive trajectories among the youth were identified. The study's findings are noteworthy, as they suggest that changing norms in reproductive behavior are occurring among less educated youth. Thus, the study provides valuable insights into the changing patterns of reproductive behavior among youth in Ethiopia and highlights the importance of education and targeted interventions in promoting positive reproductive health outcomes. XII Secondly, the timing and intensity of reproductive transitions among youths and their correlates in Oromia, Ethiopia, were analyzed. The use of data from multiple demographic health surveys spanning over a decade allows for a robust analysis of trends and changes in reproductive patterns. Regardless of the changing pattern in the reproductive transition of youths, the study finds that family formation takes the major share of the transition. However, early premarital sexual initiation is rising as a competing risk to the marital union over time, which is considered as the main precursor to social ills such as early and single parenthood. The persistence of a gender gap in reproductive transition highlights the need to address the excessive risk female youths face. Education, although not found to reduce the risk of sexual debut significantly, remains an essential tool for empowering youths, particularly females, to make informed decisions about their reproductive health. Thus, the study provides insights into the reproductive behavior of youths, underscoring the importance of policy revisions and interventions that consider these gender gaps in reproductive transitions to encourage positive reproductive transitions. Thirdly, the study investigated the factors contributing to the gender gap in the reproductive transition of youths using data from the 2011 and 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The results show that premarital sex prevalence increased with a delay in age at first marriage among youths. The gender gap in reproductive transition was found to be triggered by both compositional and structural effects of covariates such as education, modern contraceptive use, and media exposure. The study recommends addressing structural components in addition to reducing inequalities in education, media exposure, and deprivation between male and female youths to close the gender gap in reproductive transition. Finally, the study investigated the perception of youths about a successful transition to adulthood, the challenges, and the required social support to overcome the challenges. The study's findings suggest that reproductive transition is a crucial indicator of a successful transition to adulthood. The challenges identified, such as unpreparedness, health risks, and erosion of cultural norms, should be addressed through policies and strategies that promote access to accurate information and resources and emotional and financial support. Additionally, the importance of community and family involvement in supporting young people during their reproductive transition is highlighted.
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Keywords
female youths face. Education