On the doorstep of adulthood: Entrepreneurship​ and fertility of young women in Tanzania
A new article published in The Economic Journal examines how different forms of support shape the transition from secondary school to adulthood for young women in Tanzania.
In “On the doorstep of adulthood: Entrepreneurship and fertility of young women in Tanzania” (2026), Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge, Kjetil Bjorvatn, Fortunata Makene, Linda Helgesson Sekei, Vincent Somville, and Bertil Tungodden present results from a large-scale randomized controlled trial with four groups: economic empowerment, reproductive health empowerment, a combination of both, and a control group. The analysis draws on a rich dataset combining survey and laboratory measures collected over more than five years.
The authors find that the economic empowerment programme increased self-employment and income, while the reproductive health programme strengthened self-control and increased committed relationships. At the same time, both interventions led to higher rates of early pregnancy, which the authors attribute to positive income and relationship effects in a context characterized by high fertility and self-employment.
Taken together, the study highlights how economic opportunities and relationship dynamics evolve together during a pivotal stage of life.