The Demographic Transition and Teenagers’ Education in Mexico

Eunice D. Vargas Valle, University of Texas at Austin

Competition for the educational resources at the family and the population levels may change as the demographic transition advances. Given that the reduction in the size of the cohorts that compete for educational resources has recently occurred in Mexico, it is essential to investigate how the changes in population age structure interact with the family situation of Mexican adolescents. This study assesses if the school enrollment of 12-18 year olds is associated with their number of siblings, as well as their relative cohort size and the child dependency ratio of the municipality of residence. Teenagers with 3 or more siblings show lower odds of enrollment than those from smaller families. This disadvantage seems to be greater in the municipalities where the demographic transition is more advanced, once family, socioeconomic and demographic factors are taken into account.