Transitions to Adulthood: Childbearing Intentions and Economic Aspirations of University Graduates in Uganda

Despite a growing body of literature on emerging adults in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), limited attention has been drawn to understanding how the different markers of the transition to adulthood shape emerging adults’ trajectories. Uganda, with a growing population of highly educated but unemployed and underemployed young men and women, provides a relevant context for exploring the relationship between their childbearing intentions and economic aspirations. I draw on 96 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 48 men and women. I find that childbearing intentions among highly educated young adults are shaped by the interaction of a strong desire for high-quality children, uncertain economic precarity, and ambitious economic aspirations. The study demonstrates how emerging adults delay the completion of the transition to adulthood through intended delayed childbearing, impacting fertility transitions in SSA.