The impact of war and wartime on transition to adulthood: Vietnam, 1940-1990

• Main Author: TEERAWICHITCHAINAN, Bussarawan
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2004
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/802; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/1801/viewcontent/ImpactWar_Adulthood_Vietnam_2004.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

During the latter half of the 20th century, Vietnam experienced nearly continuous wars, including the Vietnam War (1965-1975). Wars afflicted young Vietnamese adults most and left profound imprints on the life course of those who survived. Based on the 1995 Vietnam Longitudinal Survey, my study uses the life course approach to document how war affects the timing and sequencing of early life course transitions for the Vietnamese growing up between the 1940s and the 1990s. The life course transitions examined include leaving school and entering labor force and first marriage and first birth. I study the impact of war by comparing the differences between veterans and non-veterans. I also examine the impact of war on wartime generation compared with the cohorts growing up during non-wartime periods. I will describe the overall patterns of transition to adulthood and present a multivariate analysis of the determinants of timing of first marriage.