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Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households

Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2010.

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Other Authors: Bomela, Nolunkcwe
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Bomela, Nolunkcwe
author_browse Bomela, Nolunkcwe
author_facet Bomela, Nolunkcwe
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24560
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:39.766Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24560 Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households Bomela, Nolunkcwe sinethemba@manstrat.co.za Sidloyi, Sinethemba Siyakholwa Female-headed households Poor townships Ngangelizwe in mthatha South africa Hiv Aids Elderly women UCTD Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2010. This study is based on data from in-depth individual interviews carried out in a poor township, Ngangelizwe in Mthatha, South Africa. It discusses and describes the livelihoods and strategies of low–income households headed by elderly (>60years old) women. The study draws primarily on interviews with 15 elderly women who are receiving or not receiving State pension, selling goods or receiving or not receiving a Child Support Grant from the government for their grandchildren in order to meet the daily challenges they are faced with. It discusses the cultivation of social networks and how these networks in turn impact on the livelihoods, health, survival and social adjustment of the elderly women. This includes reports of these women’s perceptions of poverty, their incomes (the majority (thirteen) were receiving a State pension) as well as a professional pension. The study also reports on the strategies they used to try and avoid poverty through participation in income generating activities, having their grandchildren engaging in income-earning activities mostly after school or during holidays. The study underscores the reality of the adjustments and coping measures that the women have to adopt when faced with new challenges as a result of high morbidity and mortality among adults in the reproductive age groups. The findings of this study indicate that for most women, the inability to attain basic essentials of life leads to loss of self-dignity. Socio-economic factors such as low levels of education, unemployment, little or no income, poor access to resources, many dependants and looking after their children who suffer from HIV/AIDS among the women create a situation where they operate within the “little opportunities” circle. The evidence in this study suggests that social support groups, a pension grant, a child support grant and remittances from their children helped to mitigate some of the poverty experiences of the elderly women. The study also shows that there is a dire need for intensification of poverty reduction programmes at community levels. Women have to be supported with institutional credit to grow and expand their businesses. They need the support and assistance of government in taking care of their sick children and grandchildren due to HIV/AIDS. Sociology unrestricted 2013-09-06T18:00:28Z 2011-05-11 2013-09-06T18:00:28Z 2010-09-03 2010 2011-05-11 Dissertation Sidloyi, SS 2010, Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households, MSocSci dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24560 > E11/198/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24560 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05112011-134407/ © 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Female-headed households
Poor townships
Ngangelizwe in mthatha
South africa
Hiv
Aids
Elderly women
UCTD
Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title_full Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title_fullStr Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title_full_unstemmed Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title_short Survival strategies of elderly women in female-headed households
title_sort survival strategies of elderly women in female headed households
topic Female-headed households
Poor townships
Ngangelizwe in mthatha
South africa
Hiv
Aids
Elderly women
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24560
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05112011-134407/