The result in terms of the shares of Osow youth is seen at the bottom of Figure 3. There is a slight reduction in the share of individuals belonging to this group in cohort 3, but the difference is of about 2 to 3 points, which is smaller compared to the difference observed between cohorts 1 and 2. Had labor force participation rates in cohort 3 continued at the level observed for cohort 2 during the same ages, the share of Osow youth would have declined, and the magnitude would be equivalent to the increase in school attendance.

The average regional data for cohorts 2 and 3 divided by gender are shown in Figures 4 and 5. This is an important distinction because as discussed in Behrman, et.al. (2014) and as shown in de Hoyos, et.al. (2013) the factors driving time allocation decisions can be very different for women and men.

One feature that emerges from these results is that the differences between cohorts 2 and 3 in school attendance rates for both groups are very similar. There is a differential of about 5 percentage points from age 12 and older that remains until age 18 when cohort 3 is last observed. This corroborates the generational shift documented in Figure 3, and shows that not only did access to education increase, but it did so apparently with gender equality during the 10 years between the years of both cohorts.

However, large differences are observed in labor market participation rates across several dimensions. The first is that the proportion of males in the labor market is significantly higher for both cohorts. The second, and perhaps most important, is that the trend of lower participation in younger cohorts is observed to a larger extent for males. As shown in Figure 5, there is a gap between cohorts 2 and 3, with the younger generation showing proportions of 4 points less in labor market insertion from ages 12 to 18. Figure 4 presents the data for women, and illustrates that while labor force participation is also smaller initially for cohort 3 as compared to cohort 2, the difference is much lower and is inexistent at age 18.

The differences in labor force participation rates have direct consequences for the proportion of Osow youth in both groups. While for men there is only a small reduction –which is derived from the combination from more individuals in school, but fewer in the labor market at ages 15 to 18for women there is a more significant decline of about 10 percentage points in the share of Osow youth, derived from increases in school attendance and small variations in labor force participation. Age 18 is a good example for the dynamics in this group. As can be seen, the share of Osow youth at this particular age is about 10 points lower in cohort 3 as compared to cohort 2, and the full difference is explained by higher school attendance in cohort 3 since female labor force participation rates are the same.

In general, the descriptive data shows that the main driving force behind the persistently high shares of Osow youth in the region is labor market insertion. Clearly, education coverage has been increasing over time, but the fact that fewer individuals participate in the labor market translates into consistently higher shares of Osow youth. There is a difference, however, in the patterns 10