Family Formation and Career Development Future Plans of Students from Marginalized Localities in Central Mexico

Abstract

In this exploratory study, a survey was carried out with 902 junior high-school students in localities with medium to high degree of marginalization in two states of central Mexico. This article describes the family, reproductive, and educational aspirations and expectations of this sample of students from disadvantaged areas, and explores mechanisms contributing to forming future plans. Two main plans are outlined in this sample: one oriented towards prioritizing family formation and an elevated risk of dropping out of school, and another oriented towards postponing unions and child-raising to look for educational/career development. Several factors appear to influence the development of educational/career ideals among men, however, the mechanisms driving the formation of future plans in women are less clear. The findings add to a limited body of knowledge measuring both educational and reproductive aspirations of students in low-resource settings in Latin America.