The transition to adulthood (TTA) has undergone rapid transformations in recent decades, shaped by evolving economic and social contexts. While most research focuses on how changes in social, cultural, and institutional frameworks in high-income countries (HICs) influence TTA, these factors interact differently in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where family and household contexts during childhood play a critical role. Despite the prominence of parental migration in LMICs, its long-term effects on TTA remain underexplored due to challenges in collecting longitudinal data that link household migration to individual developmental trajectories. This study addresses this gap by examining how exposure to paternal migration during childhood shapes TTA in Nepal.
Using data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS), this study pursues two main aims. First, it provides a descriptive analysis of life course pathways using sequence analysis. By leveraging yearly data on migration, fertility, education, and marriage from the Life History Calendar, common trajectories of men aged 15–22 are identified. Unlike prior studies that treat markers of adulthood as isolated events, sequence analysis considers their interdependence, offering a comprehensive view of TTA timing. Eight distinct life course clusters emerge, reflecting varied pathways such as extended schooling without family formation (C1, C4), pre-marital migration (C3), and early school departure coupled with early family formation (C6, C7, C8).
The second aim explores how childhood exposure to migration influences cluster membership. Multinomial logistic regression models assess the association between paternal migration and TTA pathways, considering household socioeconomic factors. Yearly data on paternal migration, drawn from the Life History Calendar and linked through the Household Relationship Grid, enables precise measurement of exposure timing.
Results reveal that paternal migration, particularly international migration, is associated with a reduced likelihood of early school departure and family formation, alongside increased odds of pre-marital migration. These findings suggest that paternal migration provides financial resources and social networks that facilitate alternative adulthood pathways, delaying historically normative transitions in Nepal. By examining migration exposure during childhood, this study highlights the importance of understanding its timing and broader implications for life course trajectories.
This research contributes to TTA scholarship by integrating migration as a key determinant and offering insights into how childhood experiences influence adulthood transitions in LMICs. It underscores the need for holistic approaches that account for the interplay of migration, education, and family formation in shaping diverse pathways to adulthood.
