Paper short abstract:

Focusing on emerging notions of what a good future involves among adolescents from rural Rwanda, this paper explores how migrant domestic workers under 18 years in Kigali negotiate their social and economic positions vis-à-vis employers and relatives.

Paper long abstract:

This paper focuses on emerging notions of what a good future should involve among adolescents from rural Rwanda. National policies in the fields of education, child protection, labour markets have boosted the desire for futures involving highly skilled employment or businesses that can sustain a livelihood off the farm. Thus many adolescents keenly pursue education, supported by parents to the extent possible. Parents' perception of norms surrounding work and education has been shifting so even though girls work more hours than boys, children of both genders share domestic chores nowadays to make time for schooling. Despite the pro-school attitude, many adolescents drop out of school due to poverty. Based on a small qualitative study undertaken early 2016 with migrant domestic workers under 18 years in Kigali, this paper explores how adolescent boys and girls negotiate their social and economic positions vis-à-vis the rural household, the employer's household in Kigali and urban-based relatives.