The child support grant and rural womens’ livelihoods a case study of Umsinga.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
There is a body of literature that locates social protection at the centre of poverty reduction.
Other discourses see social welfare as creating dependency. In the literature, that links social
protection to poverty reduction, social grants are seen as a means of addressing poverty and
vulnerability, as they provide safety nets for the poor. The South African Child Support Grant is a
well-known example of this as it contributes significantly to household income in a majority of
households, especially those whose substantial source of income is made up of social grants. The
grant is targeted at children who live in poor households and was introduced in 1998. This study
uses the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) as a framework for exploring whether and how
the child support grant can facilitate access to a wide range of livelihood options and
opportunities in rural extended family homesteads. The thesis explores a wide range of literature
on social protection starting from the earlier debates on welfare to current works on social
protection as part of development policy globally and in the South African context. It also
explores the concept of agency and of households. The study was conducted in Msinga, in the
province of KwaZulu-Natal using interviews and a focus group discussion with some of the
women who receive the grant. In exploring the main research question, the study found that
women spent most of the grant money on consumable goods, but also invest some of it on
acquiring productive assets. It also found that the grant has generally had positive outcomes for
the livelihoods of the women who participated in the study.
Description
Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.