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Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Child development--South Africa

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    Economic studies of motherhood and childcare in South Africa
    (2018) Hatch, Michelle
    In this thesis, I examine the relationships between motherhood and childcare, and women’s wellbeing and economic status. South Africa is a particularly interesting country in which to explore these relationships given diverse family forms, a long history of labour migration and very low marriage rates particularly among African women. In the first empirical study (Chapter Two), I analyse the gender division of labour in physical and financial (paying for educational expenses) childcare. I show that women are more likely to be physical caregivers than men are financial caregivers. In South Africa, mothers are not always caregivers for their children and in African households, where mothers are more likely to be absent from the household, other women provide both physical and financial care to children. In the second study (Chapter Three), I explore the relationship among women, between their subjective wellbeing (SWB) and living with children. I examine if the nature of women’s caregiver status moderates this relationship, and whether caregiving itself is significantly associated with SWB. The results suggest that, in contrast to African women, motherhood and childcare is a less positive experience for non-African women. For African women, on average there is a positive association between physically caring for children (provided they receive help), and paying for the schooling of children. The positive relationship between physical care and SWB is stronger when women are looking after their own children. For non-African women, however, physical and financial care are negatively related to SWB with little difference between own and other children (which is not surprising given that relatively few non-African women are primary caregivers of other people’s children). In the final study (Chapter Four), I compare the economic status of mothers by their marital status and investigate the relationship between physical childcare and employment. I show that single mothers, on average, are economically disadvantaged compared to mothers who are married or cohabiting. Furthermore, there is a stronger negative association between providing primary physical care to children and being employed among single mothers. This is partly explained by single mothers who live away from their children being significantly less likely to be caregivers and more likely to be employed. Unlike married or cohabiting mothers, single mothers also do not receive more assistance with childcare when they transition into employment.
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    The social-emotional development of orphan children in residential homes: care workers' perspective
    (2018) Abdulla, Fatima
    Many children around the world are orphaned as a result of war, natural disasters, poverty, and epidemics such as AIDS. As a result of being orphaned, children’s social-emotional development is affected. The researcher therefore set out to explore care workers’ perceptions on the social-emotional development of orphaned children in residential homes and how this may be improved. The researcher also aimed to explore the relationship care workers have with orphaned children in residential homes. The researcher used qualitative methods and interviewed ten care workers who work in residential homes in the Johannesburg area (South Africa). Four of the care worker participants were male and six were female between the ages of 30 and 65 years and have cared for orphaned children between 6 and 20 years. The researcher transcribed the data verbatim and used thematic analysis to analyse the data. Ethical standards were adhered to throughout the study. The main themes that emerged from the results suggest that care workers act as a source of care and support for orphaned children in residential homes. Care workers have other duties in the residential home which may affect their responsivity to orphaned children. Care workers also report orphaned children as having difficulties expressing emotions and making friends. Moreover, care workers report that orphaned children continue to deal with the loss of their parents and may sometimes act in aggressive ways as a result. Care workers recommend that in order to improve the socialemotional development of orphaned children, there need to be more psychologists and social workers available. The findings of this study are invaluable in contributing to an increased understanding of the perceptions care workers have on the social-emotional development of orphaned children in residential homes and how their social-emotional development may be improved.
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    Saying goodbye: carers’ experience of separation and loss in carer-child relationships in South Africa
    (2017) Matthews, Daniella Ashleign
    The purpose of this research study was to explore the reported experiences and subjective meaningmaking of South African carers’ attachment to and separation from the children they helped to raise during their employment. This research was primarily conducted due to the absence of any known research exploring separation and loss in carer-child relationships in South Africa. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to contribute to the small body of literature in this area and to create awareness in the public regarding domestic carers’ unique and ever-changing needs in order to support their emotional wellbeing. In doing so, it is believed that this will impact positively on the emotional wellbeing of the children under their care as well as their own biological children. Based on an exploratory design, with a foundation in attachment theory, nine domestic carers employed in Johannesburg, South Africa, were asked to report on how they made sense of their relationship with the children they were paid to care for during a semi-structured interview. Additionally, carers were asked to reflect on their unique experiences of separation and loss following termination of employment (for various reasons). The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed and analysed within an interpretivist framework, using thematic content analysis. Three broad areas of interest emerged based on previous literature and inductively from the carers’ interviews. These were namely, attachment, identity and separation and loss. The carers were found to form deep, emotional attachments to the children and family as a whole. A number of sub-themes emerged delineating the facilitators of the development of such an attachment between the carer and child. Themes regarding carers’ identity construction and the intricate and unique position they undertake within their employing family, emerged. The existence of an attachment relationship and the formation of an identity around this relationship inherently gave way to themes regarding carers’ profound sense of loss and grief following separation. This was accompanied by themes providing insight into some of the after effects and mediating factors of separation for the carers in this study. These findings were used to suggest recommendations for support initiatives and future research endeavours. Keywords: Domestic worker, carer, emotional labour, motherhood, attachment, separation, loss, mourning, support, South Africa
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    Early life risks and child development
    (2018) Slemming, Wiedaad
    Background Exposure to biological and psychosocial risks, particularly during the first three years of life, affects brain development and compromises the short- and long-term health and development of children, as well as their educational achievement and long-term productivity. This study sought to determine the effects of maternal and child environmental and psychosocial exposures during pregnancy and the first two years of the child’s life on growth and development outcomes in early childhood (up to 5 years) in an urban South African birth cohort. Methods Data used for this study was from the Birth to Twenty Plus (Bt20+) longitudinal birth cohort study, initiated in 1990 in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, South Africa. First, the associations between exposure to nine maternal risks, assessed in 1228 women, and subsequent infant birth weight was assessed. Second, the study examined the effects of risk exposure to the mother (and child) during pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life on stunting at age 2 years in 1098 mother–child pairs. Finally, the associations between ten demographic and psychosocial exposures occurring during the third trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life and child development age 5 were examined in 636 mother-child pairs. Multivariable regression analyses were used to investigate associations between exposures and outcomes. Further analysis was undertaken to assess whether early life growth mediated the associations between maternal and household exposures and child development outcome at age 5. Results Unwanted pregnancy (or ambivalence) was associated with a ~156 g reduction in infant birth weight (β = −0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.51, −0.14). Tobacco use during pregnancy was negatively associated with BWZ (β = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.59, −0.05). Exposure to both these risks was associated with cumulative reductions in birth weight. Approximately 1 in 5 children were stunted at age 2 years, with males at greater risk than females. Higher maternal education was protective for females (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.87), while higher household SES was protective for males (AOR for richest SES group = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.92). Males scored significantly lower than females on the developmental measure at age 5. Improved child developmental outcome was associated with higher birthweight for both sexes and superior linear growth in males. R-DPDQ scores increased by 0.84 units for every 1 SD increase in relative linear growth between birth and two years (β = 0.84 [95% CI 0.30, 1.39]). Socio-economic status (for both sexes) and maternal education for males were significant predictors of better child development. Growth status did not mediate the effects of socio-economic status (either sex) or maternal education (males) on developmental outcome. Conclusion Social factors, especially social determinants such as household SES and maternal education, were associated with early childhood growth and development in this context. Prenatal (using birthweight as a proxy) and postnatal growth were important for child development. Males were particularly vulnerable to poor growth and development in this cohort. The effects of household SES and maternal education on child development at 5 years were not mediated by linear growth between birth and 4 years.
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    Challenges faced by early childhood development centres in accessing government support in semi- informal areas: the case of Mamelodi Extension 6, city of Tshwane
    (2017) Phora, Mapule
    South Africa still experiences high levels of poverty, growing informal settlement and high levels of unemployment as indicated in the 2012 National Development Plan. Some settlements, informal and semi-informal areas are characterised by high densities and the lack of or poor levels of both physical and social infrastructures. The case study in this research report is a semi-formal settlement east of Mamelodi, an area known as Mamelodi Extension 6 in the City of Tshwane. Within this settlement, child minders or ECD practitioners offer day care services to households with pre-school children, aged from birth to 6 years. Most of these services are provided informally within the child minder’s own home, which during the day is a “centre” and in the evenings a residence. In some instances, an informal structure is placed within the yard and serves as the ECD centre, or one of the structures, such as a garage is turned into a class room The aim of this study is to establish the extent to which informality or semi- informal areas contribute to the inability of ECD centres to access government and non-governmental support. This type of support is important as most of these ECD sites are run by practitioners who need technical skills as well as support in the form of finances and physical infrastructure. The area under study is semi formalised as part of the in situ upgrades and part of relocation from other informal settlements. It is surrounded by a fully formalised township, with bonded houses, known as Mamelodi Gardens. It is also surrounded by some areas which are still informal. Within Ext. 6 land earmarked for social amenities is still invaded, contributing to some element of informality. Key conceptual points for this study are early childhood development, poverty and deprivation, lack of infrastructure and informality. The study uses these to understand how structural poverty and deprivation impacts negatively on the development of many young children living in semi-developed areas. It also seeks to understand the role of government in providing services within informal and semi-formal areas. In addition to this, the study seeks to understand how the absence of these services makes it difficult for ECD centres to comply with government regulations, excluding them from government and non-governmental funding. Failure to access government and non-governmental funding and support keeps the standards of these ECD centres low, which in turn has adverse effects on the quality of education provided by these centres. This situation creates a vicious cycle of poverty and inequality. The study is qualitative. Data gathering was through observations and interviews with the following key informants: municipal officials dealing with housing, those responsible for the issuing of occupational certificates, those dealing with social development, ECD practitioners and Department of Social Development provincial and regional officials. The key findings of the study confirm the notion that ECD sites which are in informal and semi-informal areas find it hard to meet the requirements of the Children’s Act, which prohibits them from accessing state resources in the form of subsidies and funding from the private sector.