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Childbearing in the Context of the Child Support Grant in a Rural Area in South Africa

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  • Nokuthula Ngubane
  • Pranitha Maharaj

Abstract

Although teenage pregnancy appears to be on the decline in South Africa, it is still high and a matter of heated debate. Some commentators argue that the child support grant is fuelling the high levels of childbearing among young women in South Africa. To investigate this relationship, qualitative data using in-depth interviews was conducted with women aged 18 to 24 years who were recipients of the child support grant. The study was conducted in Mtubatuba, which is located in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The women in the study denied that they had children to access the grant. They pointed out that the grant is minimal and did not cover the cost of raising a child. The women identified a range of factors that contribute to childbearing including inadequate knowledge about sex, gender relations, lack of access to contraceptive services, and risky behaviors. Age appropriate and youth friendly health services should thus be a priority for government in tackling this problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Nokuthula Ngubane & Pranitha Maharaj, 2018. "Childbearing in the Context of the Child Support Grant in a Rural Area in South Africa," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(4), pages 21582440188, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:8:y:2018:i:4:p:2158244018817596
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244018817596
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marisa Coetzee, 2013. "Finding the Benefits: Estimating the Impact of The South African Child Support Grant," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 81(3), pages 427-450, September.
    2. Gemma Wright & David Neves & Phakama Ntshongwana & Michael Noble, 2015. "Social assistance and dignity: South African women's experiences of the child support grant," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 443-457, July.
    3. Monde Makiwane, 2010. "The Child Support Grant and teenage childbearing in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 193-204.
    4. Luca Tiberti & Hélène Maisonnave & Margaret Chitiga & Ramos Mabugu & Véronique Robichaud & Stewart Ngandu, 2013. "The Economy-wide Impacts of the South African Child Support Grant: a Micro-Simulation-Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Cahiers de recherche 1303, CIRPEE.
    5. Cally Ardington & Alicia Menendez & Tinofa Mutevedzi, 2015. "Early Childbearing, Human Capital Attainment, and Mortality Risk: Evidence from a Longitudinal Demographic Surveillance Area in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(2), pages 281-317.
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    Cited by:

    1. Aneela Sultana & Mahwish Zeeshan & Sohima Anzak, 2022. "A Phenomenological Analysis of Rural Women’s Childbirth Preferences," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    2. Helen Elizabeth Denise Burchett & Dylan Kneale & Sally Griffin & Málica de Melo & Joelma Joaquim Picardo & Rebecca S. French, 2022. "Which Structural Interventions for Adolescent Contraceptive Use Have Been Evaluated in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-31, September.

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