"Bargaining with Children": Unintended Consequences of Children's Grants in Rural South Africa. (1st January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gutura, Priscilla; Tanga, Pius Tangwe
• Is Part Of: Journal of sociology and social anthropology. Volume 7:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 35
• Page End: 43
• Publication Date: 2016-01-01
• Subjects: Biological Fostering -- Caregivers -- HIV/AIDS -- Poverty -- Teenage Pregnancy; Sociology -- Periodicals; Ethnology -- Periodicals; 301
• DOI: 10.1080/09766634.2016.11885700
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0976-6634

Abstract

Abstract: The results of this paper were extracted from a study which used mixed methodology, to collect data from 541 social grant beneficiaries, from Ngqushwa Local Municipality. Most of the participants perceived that teenagers in their communities got pregnant so that they could receive the Child Support Grant. Interestingly, it was revealed that there were other women specifically not teenagers who were getting pregnant and having more children for them to access the grant. Further, even though the findings indicated that grandmothers were fostering out of love, most participants were fostering in their biological background for them to get the Foster Care Grant. In this regard it is concluded that with the high incidences of poverty coupled with HIV and AIDS, there will always be perverse incentives. This is because there are people who require support, however, the welfare system does not provide for the entire population.