Woman Who Have Others: Discretionary Gifting and the Transition to Marriage under Conditions of Economic Uncertainty

• In Event: 20469 - Early Life Course Dynamics

Abstract

The transition to adulthood is often conceptualized through conventional markers such as education, marriage, and employment. However, in many contexts, these transitions are neither linear nor uniform, unfolding through shifting economic dependencies and evolving material needs. In sub-Saharan Africa, where economic precarity and weak social safety nets shape young women’s life trajectories, financial exchanges and material consumption play a crucial yet understudied role in structuring key transitions. This study uses detailed data on gift acquisition from Malawi to explore how young women obtain essential and disposable goods through diverse social and economic exchanges. We analyze how material needs evolve over the life course, particularly as women navigate multiple transitions to adulthood. We then assess whether patterns of material support predict key indicators of the transition to adulthood, focusing on the timing and characteristics of marriage. Descriptive findings reveal that young women do not rely on a single, stable source of financial support tied to a particular transition stage. Instead, they engage in fluid and adaptive exchange networks to meet their evolving material needs. By reframing transitions to adulthood as processes of managing economic dependency and resource distribution, this study shows how material exchanges can actively shape life trajectories, rather than merely reflecting the stages of transition.

Authors

• Jeong Hyun Oh, University of Michigan

• Jenny Trinitapoli, University of Chicago