Browsing by Author "Shoko, Mercy"

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    Exploring the relationship between orphanhood status, living arrangements and sexual and reproductive health outcomes among female adolescents in Southern Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Shoko, Mercy; Kahn, Kathleen; Ginsburg, Carren
    Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) is high on the global development agenda. Among the respective research conducted is the various social contexts that may contribute to adverse SRH outcomes, including the overlapping issues of orphanhood and living arrangements. These are crucial given that the presence or absence of parents emerges as critical for the sexual and reproductive well-being of adolescents. While orphanhood, particularly in the context of the HIV epidemic in Southern Africa, receives considerable attention, this study highlights a noteworthy gap in the literature – the limited focus on living arrangements and its influence on ASRH, often overshadowed by orphanhood. This research is important given the evidence suggesting that the African traditional kinship care systems offer support for orphans. However, recent research also highlights the crucial role of biological parents in providing effective care and support for adolescents. The study aims to contribute by exploring the relationship between orphanhood status, living arrangements, and ASRH in Southern Africa. Utilising cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data, the analysis delves into key dimensions of SRH, including sexual debut, HIV knowledge, and adolescent fertility, which are all critical links to HIV risk. The findings underscore a significant association between non-coresidency with parents, whether due to orphanhood or separate living arrangements, and a heightened risk of adverse SRH outcomes. This suggests that interventions aimed at addressing adolescent SRH in Southern Africa should encompass a holistic understanding of parental presence or absence. The study emphasises the complex interplay between orphanhood, parental absence, and various individual, household, and geographic factors that collectively contribute to the vulnerability of female adolescents in the context of ASRH. Despite that the results suggest that the data on orphanhood and living arrangements may be of acceptable quality, the study recognises the potential for detailed insights through future research employing longitudinal data. Such an approach could offer a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of ASRH over time, subsequently informing targeted policies and interventions in the unique socio-cultural context of Southern Africa
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    Is there a mortality differential by marital status among women in South Africa? a study on a rural sub-district of Mpumalanga Province in the North-East South Africa
    (2009-09-22T11:17:47Z) Shoko, Mercy
    Abstract Using longitudinal data collected between 1999 and 2007, for Agincourt Demographic Surveillance Area, the paper examines the effect of marital status and co-residence on mortality of women who are aged between 20 and 80. The Cox Proportional Hazard Model is used to investigate the relationship between mortality and the covariates; marital status, co-residence, woman’s country of origin and marital duration for married women. The number of months the husband was resident in the ADSA is used as a proxy for coresidence. After controlling for women migration, marital status and co-residence were significant. The divorced/separated and widowed women had a higher probability of dying compared to the married. In addition, being married to a migrant partner increased the woman’s probability of dying. Thus the study concludes that marital status and coresidence affects mortality.