Transition to Adulthood in Rural Africa: Are Male and Female Experiences Converging? The Case of the Bwa of Mali

Véronique Hertrich, Institut National d'etudes Demographiques (INED)
Marie Lesclingand, Institut National d'etudes Demographiques (INED)

Relations between men and women in sub-Saharan Africa are still subject to strong normative rules and social controls, but recent developments point to changes occurring in gender relations, particularly in the stages of the transition to adulthood - decline in the age difference between men and women at first marriage, increased female migrations, and dissociation between sexual initiation, couple formation and parenthood. This paper analyses this 'time of youth' in a rural population of Mali. Are the timetables and stages that characterize this period the same for both sexes? This question is examined by distinguishing four stages in the transition to adulthood - first labor migration, first marital process, first marriage, and birth of first child. The analysis confirms the convergence in male and female itineraries prior to marriage. But the stages of the transition to adulthood are characterized differently for men and women, leading to the reproduction of gender-specific spheres.