Health risks and informal employment in South Africa: does formality protect health?

Abstract

Background:The association between work and health has not been well explored in the context of economically developing countries, largely due to inadequate data. Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the association between informal wage work and health in South Africa using a newly available data set that includes detailed information on both employment and health. Methods: To explore the relationship between formality, work, and health in South Africa, data from the first (2008) wave of the National Income Dynamic Study (NIDS) were analyzed. We constructed a ''formality index'' which represents work arrangements on a continuum of formality to informality allowing for a more nuanced analysis of the association between wage work and health. Results: We found that formality of employment was significantly associated with health in South Africa, but that the protective effect of formality in employment on health was largely derived from the higher levels of income earned through more formal types of employment. Nevertheless, we did find that the association between informality and poor health was significantly greater for women in wage employment than for males.

‘She must cover up whilst the baby is feeding’: Experiences and attitudes about breastfeeding among female and male informal workers in India and South Africa.

“…America and Asia also suggests that poorer women may use the flexibility of informal economy work to navigate the trade-off between impoverished households, child care and earning work when their children are young. Although this allows them time to care for their children, the work is also insecure and poorly paid [15]. Women informal workers need more options for securing their incomes to delay time to return to work.…”

How is breastfeeding perceived in the informal work environment? A qualitative study among working mothers in India and South Africa

“…America and Asia also suggests that poorer women may use the flexibility of informal economy work to navigate the trade-off between impoverished households, child care and earning work when their children are young. Although this allows them time to care for their children, the work is also insecure and poorly paid [13]. Women informal workers need more options for securing their incomes to delay time to return to work.…”

“…The stress of balancing this 'double-burden' of earning an income and shouldering the main responsibility for child care was significant for women in our study. Women working in the formal sector also experience this, but it is likely that women in informal employment with few social protections face greater hardship [13,29]. Child care, and breastfeeding more specifically, is generally thought to be an individual's decision and success the sole responsibility of the woman.…”

“…Women workers in the informal economy face a higher risk of poverty than those in the formal economy and do not have the same degree of access to health care [8]. While there is some evidence of an association between job informality in the Global South and poor health among women workers [13], we still know very little about how informal work affects maternal, newborn and child health.…”

Near-Road Exposure to Air Pollution and Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-Sectional Study among Vendors in Dakar, Senegal

“…In Africa, informal work accounts for more than 60% of urban employment. These workers in the informal sector do not receive any social protection for care [20]. They often spend long hours of work and confinement in cramped and unhealthy workplaces.…”