“It’s Not Easy Being a Mom Especially When You Are Unemployed”: Navigating Childcare, a Necessary Social Service in South Africa

Qualitative exploration of the constraints on mothers’ and pregnant women’s ability to turn available services into nutrition benefits in a low-resource urban setting, South Africa

“…Like mothers in this study, Maharaj and Dunn (2022) found that young Black African women in a urban township in Durban, South Africa, could not go out and search for employment because they did not have the means to do so. 44 We also showed that the same unmet needs constrained the ability of mothers to benefit from various government services. These included civic services (birth certificates, identity documents) and welfare (social grants, food parcels, social housing).…”

“…Notwithstanding the need for more jobs at the macro level, we showed that mothers in this study needed more immediate and short-term support including technological skills and internet literacy, writing CVs, preparing for job interviews, and incidental expenses linked to job applications. Like mothers in this study, Maharaj and Dunn (2022) found that young Black African women in a urban township in Durban, South Africa, could not go out and search for employment because they did not have the means to do so 44…”

The Relationship between Childcare-Giving Arrangements and Children’s Malnutrition Status in South Africa

“…The finding of children who are in crèches and in schools presenting with better nutritional outcomes compared to children cared for at home is not surprising. The South African education policy exempts school fees among learners from low-income families [58,59], and there is a provision for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) so that disadvantaged learners receive breakfast and lunch at the school [60,61]. Similarly, in registered crèches, children who are recipients of the child support grant (CSG) and whose caregivers qualify under the means test can benefit from the R17-a-day nutrition grant subsidy [60].…”

“…The South African education policy exempts school fees among learners from low-income families [58,59], and there is a provision for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) so that disadvantaged learners receive breakfast and lunch at the school [60,61]. Similarly, in registered crèches, children who are recipients of the child support grant (CSG) and whose caregivers qualify under the means test can benefit from the R17-a-day nutrition grant subsidy [60]. However, the same provision of exempting fee payment for crèches among low-income families is not granted because crèches are privately owned [59].…”

“…The high unemployment rate has implications in the caregiver's ability to send children to crèches because of the lack of money to pay for crèche fees. Another study conducted in South Africa has found that the lack of childcare arrangements may restrain caregivers with young children in seeking employment [60]. Moreover, the improved nutritional outcomes associated with children attending registered crèches, studies by Maharaj and Dunn [60] and Yeleswarapu and Nallapu [61] have found that crèche attendance among children comes with added benefits for the child and the caregivers.…”