Association between Household Poverty and Adolescent Transitions to Union Formation and Parenthood in Europe: Evidence from the European Community Household Panel Survey

Monica A. Magadi, Loughborough University

This study forms part of a larger scale international comparative study on timing and sequence of adolescent transitions to adulthood. In this paper, we use recent waves of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) survey to examine the association between household poverty and adolescent transitions to union formation and parenthood in Europe. The analysis starts with an examination of the patterns in timing and sequence of adolescent transitions to union formation and parenthood using multi-state analysis. This is followed by an examination of the association between household poverty and the adolescent transition patterns. This part of the analysis features multilevel modeling to explore the role of contextual household and national factors on adolescent transitions, with particular reference to household poverty.