ABSTRACT
Research on young adults in sub-Saharan Africa has made critical observations about the individualistic view of the comprehension of youth, referring to a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence. Critical accounts have also pointed out how the individualistic rhetoric does not adequately consider the socio-cultural ideas, expectations and relationships that may especially govern women into social and familial responsibilities and obligations. This is evident in pursuing and studying at higher education, which often overlaps with getting married, establishing a family and working. In this chapter, youth is perceived as a social phenomenon, characterised by social norms, relationships and negotiations. Drawing on two independent studies conducted in Tanzania and South Africa, with female and male students who have reached higher education, the focus of analysis is on the critical issues that enabled them to reach higher education, understood as their well-being freedoms. Narrative accounts from the research participants considering their school environments and familial contexts, which enabled them to access and participate in education, are represented.
Keywords: well-being, gender, Tanzania, South Africa, higher education
