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Alternative Definitions of Headship and the 'Feminisation' of Income Poverty in Post-Apartheid South Africa

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  • Michael Rogan

Abstract

In measuring gender differences in the risk of income poverty, many studies use female headship as a proxy for gender. However, a number of well-documented concerns with the use of self-reported headship as an analytical category have suggested that headship is often a relatively blunt unit of analysis. Against the backdrop of a large and growing difference in income poverty rates between self-reported female- and male-headed households in post-apartheid South Africa, this study considers several alternative definitions of headship that have been proposed in the development literature. The findings suggest that there is an association between self-reported female headship and a female household member being identified as the main breadwinner. However, the conventional definition of headship is likely to underestimate the growing risk of income poverty in female-headed households (relative to male-headed households) compared with several alternative definitions. The findings also suggest that alternative definitions of female headship may be more appropriate given the narrow way in which the household is defined in most national surveys. The article concludes with a discussion of the methodological and policy implications for alternative headship based studies of poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Rogan, 2013. "Alternative Definitions of Headship and the 'Feminisation' of Income Poverty in Post-Apartheid South Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(10), pages 1344-1357, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:49:y:2013:i:10:p:1344-1357
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.812199
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dorrit Posel & Michael Rogan, 2012. "Gendered trends in poverty in the post-apartheid period, 1997--2006," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 97-113, March.
    2. Klasen, Stephan & Lechtenfeld, Tobias & Povel, Felix, 2010. "What about the Women? Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010 43, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    3. Daniela Casale, 2004. "What has the Feminisation of the Labour Market ‘Bought’ Women in South Africa? Trends in Labour Force Participation, Employment and Earnings, 1995-2001," Working Papers 04084, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    4. Daniela Casale, 2004. "What has the Feminisation of the Labour Market ‘Bought’ Women in South Africa? Trends in Labour Force Participation, Employment and Earnings, 1995–2001," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 15(3-4), pages 251-275, July.
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    2. Bose, Udichibarna & Arun, Thankom & Arun, Shoba, 2021. "Do information networks benefit households with female heads?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Hanmer,Lucia C. & Rubiano Matulevich,Eliana Carolina & Santamaria,Julieth, 2021. "Differences in Household Composition : Hidden Dimensions of Poverty and Displacement in Somalia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9818, The World Bank.
    4. Meijer, Seline S. & Sileshi, Gudeta W. & Kundhlande, Godfrey & Catacutan, Delia & Nieuwenhuis, Maarten, 2015. "The Role of Gender and Kinship Structure in Household Decision-Making for Agriculture and Tree Planting in Malawi," Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security (Agri-Gender), Africa Centre for Gender, Social Research and Impact Assessment, vol. 1(01).
    5. Mwiti, Fredah & Goulding, Christina, 2018. "Strategies for community improvement to tackle poverty and gender issues: An ethnography of community based organizations (‘Chamas’) and women's interventions in the Nairobi slums," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(3), pages 875-886.

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