“Our World Is Shaking Because of Corona”: Intersecting Crises and Disrupted Life Transitions among Young People in Ethiopia and Jordan Pre- and Post-COVID-19

Abstract

Our article explores how intersecting crises, sociocultural norms around gender, age, household and community and broader political and economic shifts are affecting youth transitions. We draw on qualitative virtual research with 138 young people in Ethiopia and Jordan undertaken between April and August 2020. COVID-19 is exacerbating ongoing crises and gender inequalities in Ethiopia and Jordan and foreclosing opportunities for youth transitions. In Ethiopia, the pandemic has compounded the precarity of young people who have migrated from rural to urban areas, often to locations where they are socially marginalised. In Jordan, the confinement of young people affected by forced displacement to their households with extended family during pandemic-related service closures augments existing perceptions of an extended ‘waithood’—both psychosocially and economically. In both contexts, conservative gender norms further entrench the restrictions on adolescent girls’ mobility with consequences for their opportunities and wellbeing. This article makes an important contribution to the literature on gender, migrant youth and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by showing how multiple crises have sharpened the social and political (im)mobilities that already shaped young men and women’s lives in Ethiopia and Jordan and the consequences for their trajectories to adulthood.

Assessing the health, social, educational and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a rapid review of the literature

“… 27 , 30 , 40 , 43 , 57 , 67 , 68 , 74 , 79 Coping mechanisms were categorised as both positive and negative. Positive coping mechanisms included social support, resilience, volunteering and adopting new hobbies, 25 , 28 , 36 , 42 , 55 , 56 , 60 , 73 , 80 , 81 whereas negative coping included excessive screen time and substance use 47 , 56 , 69 , 71 , 74 , 75 : “ Corona[virus]’s time made us explore our talents. I started to meditate by watching the sky and photographing it … When I started taking these pictures, it gave me a feeling of comfort as it is a beautiful view.…”

“…48 , 54 , 64 , 70 , 76 , 84 , 85 , 89 , 100 In Bangladesh, Peru, Indonesia and China, adolescents reported reduced college aspirations 81 , 95 and fears of current grade completion. 50–52 An impact of school closures included accelerated relationship timelines due to reduced future aspirations, pressure to marry and other friends getting married in two sub-Saharan African countries (Ethiopia and Kenya), Jordan and Indonesia 75 , 107 , 108 : “ She was 13 years old and was pulled out of school … She ran away from home as she did not want to get married so young. She begged her family but they were not persuaded … She sheltered at my friend’s house and told us she was thinking to commit suicide.…”

“…She does not leave the house … she has a psychological illness. ” (15-year-old girl, Syrian refugee in Jordan) 75 …”

“…” (16-year-old boy, Syrian refugee in Jordan) Sixty-six per cent of adolescents were worried about the effect of COVID-19 on their future social life, 38 , 102 with peer relationship problems discussed by 38%. 75 , 110 This was especially true for girls who mentioned that their already limited spatial mobility was further constrained and that they had less time with friends resulting in a loss of peer-support networks. 56 , 60 , 69 , 70 , 84 A study in Hong Kong China, showed an increase in peer-support (21%).…”

COVID-19 and the gendered impacts on adolescent wellbeing: Evidence from a cross-sectional study of locally adapted measures in Ethiopia, Jordan, and Palestine

“…As a component of the longitudinal Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) study, 17 this analysis builds on ongoing research assessing risk and protective factors for adolescent wellbeing during the pandemic. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 Using data from 5,752 adolescents, we first developed locally adapted measures of adolescent wellbeing, following best practices for the development of valid and reliable measures. 22 , 23 We used multivariate regression methods to understand the relationship between household-level COVID-19 vulnerability and our adolescent wellbeing measures, using an adapted measure of COVID-19 vulnerability across four domains: socioeconomic, demographic, epidemiological, and housing and hygiene.…”