Role Reversal of Rural Black Grandparents in South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2984290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mduduzi Nkosinathi Gladwin Mtshali (University of KwaZulu-Natal, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 369-377 |
| Publication date | 2016-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Comparative Family Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2328 • E-ISSN: 1929-9850 |
| Publisher | University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3138/jcfs.47.3.369 |
| OpenAlex | W2914104035 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
This paper explores the changing role of grandparents in rural Black families in pre and post-apartheid South Africa since the legacy of apartheid has resulted in some unique employment and family formation patterns in both urban and rural Black communities. The draconian apartheid laws, particularly the Group Areas Act, forced Black people to live far away from the city and men had to migrate far away from rural families in order to work in the cities. As a result, men's inability to meet their obligations as breadwinners affected their interactions with their families, in particular, their children. Post-apartheid South Africa is also marked by the increased female labor migration from rural areas to small towns and cities to look for employment. Their children are left behind in the grandmothers' care who then assumes the task of child rearing. The literature also indicates that it is common for Black children in rural areas to have regular, and sometimes, intensive daily contact with adults who are not their parents. Patterns of caregiving within families and between generations are being challenged and reconfigured by the HIV epidemic. The literature indicates that in South Africa, those living with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 50 years. Younger generation that is supposed to be providing care for elderly people (particularly grandmothers) are no more longer able to do so due to their own HIV/AIDS related illness, and 60% of orphans in South Africa live in grandparent-headed households. As a result, many older people have taken on the role of sole caregiver to the younger generations due to HIV/AIDS deaths among young adults. Therefore, Black grandmothers play a pivotal role in child rearing and parenting support, yet there is very little literature available on the role of rural grandparents in black families in raising their grandchildren. Black grandmothers' involvement in child care is related to parents' need for help. Grandmother care-giving is very crucial particularly when the well-being of children is in jeopardy, families have low-incomes and limited resources, and parents are experiencing social problems
Economic growth · Economics · Extended family · Geography · Grandparent · Political science · Rural area · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Family Support in Illness · Gender Studies · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Law · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
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| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2024 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |