The role of the first birth in the transition to adulthood among male Uruguayan youngsters

We analyse the rarely studied transition to the first birth among Uruguayan male youngsters in 1990 and 2008, applying survival analysis in an exploratory approach to survey data. Our findings suggest a later timing in the first birth for male youngsters compared to female youngsters, accompanied by an educational attainment level gradient that is present for both sexes. Also, the differentials by education show an augmentation between 1990 and 2008, leading us to establish the hypothesis of a process of polarization in the transition to the first birth between the two time periods. We examine the extent of simultaneity with other markers of the transition to adulthood, such as leaving the parental home, entering the workforce and leaving the educational system, in order to establish the role of the first birth in the larger process of the transition to adulthood among males. We further analyse the impact of attributes such as region of residence and social origins.