Youth Aspirations and Transitions in Global South Contexts

Youth aspirations and transitions in the Global South encompass the ways in which young people imagine and pursue desirable futures against a backdrop of rapid social, economic and environmental change. Aspirations are shaped by local cultures, family relations and broader development agendas, and they guide decisions about education, work, mobility and family formation. Transitions to adulthood are rarely linear; they unfold through “vital conjunctures” when key life events—completing school, entering the labour market, marrying or migrating—intersect with structural constraints. In many settings, the promise of formal employment coexists with enduring attachments to rural livelihoods, while urban migration offers new possibilities alongside heightened risk and insecurity. Gender, class and intergenerational ties mediate both aspirations and outcomes, producing varied pathways that often defy policy assumptions of uniform progression. Crises such as political instability, climate shocks or pandemics have further disrupted trajectories, prompting young people to develop adaptive strategies—from diversifying income sources to recalibrating educational goals. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for designing interventions that bolster agency, reduce precarity and support inclusive development.

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Youth Aspirations and Transitions in Global South Contexts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in youth aspirations and transitions in global south contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Aspirations: Orientations towards a desired future, shaped by social relations, cultural norms and perceived opportunities.

Precarity: A condition of persistent insecurity in employment, income and social protection that affects young people’s capacity to plan and secure stable futures.

Positive uncertainty: A theoretical concept denoting the productive and creative dimensions of navigating unpredictable social and economic environments.

Waithood: An extended period of deferred adulthood in which youth remain socially and economically marginalised before achieving recognised markers of adulthood.

References

1. The persistence of precarity: youth livelihood struggles and aspirations in the context of truncated agrarian change, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Agriculture and Human Values (2023).
2. Introduction: Development, Young People, and the Social Production of Aspirations. The European Journal of Development Research (2020).
3. Youth Shifting Identities, Moving Aspirations, Changing Social Norms, and Positive Uncertainty in Ethiopia and Nepal. Sociological Research Online (2022).