Understanding Waithood

For many young people in the Middle East, the transition to adulthood is no longer as smooth and predictable as it was in traditional society.  Few move directly from adolescence into adulthood, through employment and early marriage.  When a young person is unable to make a smooth transition – for instance, from education to employment – he or she is undergoing “waithood”.  

In the form of an unemployment spell, waithood can last for several years.  The young person lacks information about where he or she is heading and is unable to have a clear sense of what the future might hold.  When waiting is accompanied with uncertainty, waithood causes young people to waste their time instead of making the most of their transition periods.