Decomposing changes in household measures: Household size and services in South Africa, 1994–2012

Wittenberg, Martin; Collinson, Mark; Harris, Tom

doi:10.4054/demres.2017.37.39

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The rise in solo-living has also been a marked demographic trend in South Africa over recent decades ( Amoateng et al, 2007 ; Wittenberg et al, 2017 ; Mutanda & Odimegwu, 2019 ; Posel & Hall, 2021 ), setting South Africa apart from many other developing countries, and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular ( Ortiz-Ospina, 2019 ). This trend derives mostly from the growth in single person households among working-age adults (15–59 years) rather than among older adults (60 years and older).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living alone and depression in a developing country context: Longitudinal evidence from South Africa

Posel

2021

SSM - Population Health

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In South Africa, single-person households were a household type enforced by apartheid legislation, designed to restrict the “influx” of Africans into “white” and typically urban areas of the country. Yet the increase in living alone has been one of the most marked demographic trends of the post-apartheid period. The trend, which has occurred alongside the persistence in individual labor migration patterns and a decline in rates of union formation, has been driven by changes among working-age adults, rather than among older adults. This is the first empirical study to investigate the mental health implications of living alone among all adults in South Africa using national longitudinal data. The data come from five waves of the panel household survey, the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), conducted from 2008 to 2017. Information on depressive symptoms was collected from all adults (15 years and older), who were asked the ten questions which make up the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10). Adults who lived alone reported significantly higher depression scores than other adults, in the pooled ordinary least squares models, and in the fixed effects model, which controlled for any unobservable, time-invariant differences between the two groups of adults. Vulnerability to depression was moderated by adults’ preferences to continue living in their area of residence (as a measure of their social integration), but the positive relationship remained sizeable and significant across all models. The findings shed light on a further dimension of the migrant labor system in South Africa, which has not received adequate attention in the empirical literature, viz. the mental health implications for adults of solo migration, and they provide further motivation for the provision of affordable and safe family housing in local areas of employment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living alone and depression in a developing country context: Longitudinal evidence from South Africa

Posel

2021

SSM - Population Health

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“…Climatic variability-and the social and economic impacts of such environmental changes-may have significant impacts on household size, which is a correlate of many important social, demographic, and health outcomes (Deaton & Paxson, 1998;Huldén et al, 2014;Vogl, 2016;Wittenberg et al, 2017). Changes in household size may also affect environmental conditions (De Sherbinin et al, 2008).…”

Section: Environmental Change and The Householdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Exposures and Household Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Piringer,

Vardanega,

Thiede

2022

Preprint

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Climatic variability has been linked to multiple demographic and health outcomes, but few studies have examined its impact on household size. Household size is an important correlate of wellbeing and is driven by multiple demographic processes that may be affected by environmental shocks. This paper describes these links conceptually, and then empirically examines the effects of exposure to climate anomalies on household size and three underlying components: fertility, marriage, and family agglomeration (partition). We examine these relationships by linking harmonized census microdata from eleven sub-Saharan African countries with high-resolution climate data from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and modeling the effects of recent temperature and precipitation exposures on the outcomes of interest. Our analyses find little evidence that recent temperature and precipitation exposures lead to overall changes in household size. When examining underlying demographic dynamics, however, we find that family agglomeration responds to both temperature and rainfall, marriage responds to rainfall and cold shocks, and higher temperatures are associated with increases in fertility. By studying these outcomes in one unified conceptual and empirical framework, our results suggest that many components of household size are associated with climate exposures, but in a manner that does not translate into significant net changes in household size.

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“…Agincourt/Matsavana (24.8279S: 31.2197E) is a low-income residential settlement on the Lowveld valley and is located in the town of Bushbuckridge Local Municipality in Mpumalanga Province (Wittenberg and Collinson 2017). All sampled dwellings in the study were of a detached nature and were constructed as standalone structures.…”

Section: Description Of the Study Site And Sampled Dwellingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risks of Indoor Overheating in Low-Cost Dwellings on the South African Lowveld

Matandirotya

Cilliers

Burger

et al. 2021

African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation

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The South African Lowveld is a region of land that lies between 150 and 2000 m above sea level. In summer the region is characterized by the maximum mean daily ambient temperature of 32 °C. The purpose of the study was to characterize indoor thermal environments in low-cost residential dwellings during summer seasons as climate is changing. Indoor and ambient air temperature measurements were performed at a 30-min temporal resolution using Thermochron iButtons in the settlement of Agincourt. 58 free running low-cost residential dwellings were sampled over the summer seasons of 2016 and 2017. Complementary ambient air temperature data were sourced from the South African Weather Service (SAWS). Data were transformed into hourly means for further analysis. It was found that hourly maximum mean indoor temperatures ranged between 27 °C (daytime) and 23 °C (nighttime) for both living rooms and bedrooms in summer 2016 while in 2017, maximum mean indoor temperatures ranged between 29 °C (daytime) and 26 °C (nighttime) in living rooms and bedrooms. Pearson correlations showed a positive association between indoor and ambient temperatures ranging between r = 0.40 (daytime) and r = 0.90 (nighttime). The association is weak to moderate during daytime because occupants apply other ventilation practices that reduce the relationship between indoor and ambient temperatures. The close association between nighttime ambient and indoor temperature can also be attributed to the effect of urban heat island as nighttime ambient temperature remain elevated; thus, influencing indoor temperatures also remain high. These findings highlight the potential threat posed by a rise in temperatures for low-cost residential dwellings occupants due to climate change. Furthermore, the high level of sensitiveness of dwellings to ambient temperature changes also indicates housing envelopes that have poor thermal resistance to withstand the Lowveld region’s harsh extreme heat conditions, especially during summer. The study findings suggest that a potential risk of indoor overheating exists in low-cost dwellings on the South African Lowveld as the frequency and intensity of heat waves rise. There is therefore a need to develop immediate housing adaptation interventions that mitigate against the projected ambient temperature rise for example through thermal insulation retrofits on the existing housing stock and passive housing designs for new housing stock.

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Decomposing changes in household measures: Household size and services in South Africa, 1994–2012

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Living alone and depression in a developing country context: Longitudinal evidence from South Africa

Living alone and depression in a developing country context: Longitudinal evidence from South Africa

Climate Exposures and Household Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Risks of Indoor Overheating in Low-Cost Dwellings on the South African Lowveld

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