The roles of men and women in maternal and child nutrition in urban South Africa: A qualitative secondary analysis

Abstract

Industrialization and urbanization processes have challenged deeply held traditional gender norms and facilitated the emergence of modern ideologies in South Africa.This paper seeks to explore the gendered roles of family members on maternal and child nutrition and investigate indications of perceived change in related practices. A qualitative secondary analysis was conducted of data from nine focus group discussions (FGDs) held with men (n = 3) and women (n = 6) aged ≥18. Data from the FGD were coded and thematic analysis conducted. We found that elderly women seem to have a central advisory role with respect to maternal and child nutrition and that men and elderly women upheld patriarchal gender divisions of labour, which entrust mothers with the primarily responsibility for young children's nutrition. Young mothers relied on elderly women for provision of childcare and nutritious foods for children; however, they demonstrated some resistance to traditionally feminized forms of food preparation. We found that men's involvement in children's nutrition was limited, though they expressed a preference to be more involved in maternal and child nutrition and care practices. A gender transformative approach to policy development, which includes elderly women and men, has the potential to promote more gender-equitable nutrition practices, increase young women's self-efficacy and support them to overcome barriers that could be limiting their decision making power in achieving optimal nutrition for themselves and their children. K E Y W O R D S gender, maternal and child health, nutrition, qualitative secondary analysis, South Africa 1 | INTRODUCTION South Africa's post-apartheid democratic reform agenda is one of the most progressive in the world. The achievement of equality is a foundational value of the Constitution of 1996, granting the right to equality, dignity, culture and language ('Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act No. 108 of 1996)', 1996). South Africa has reached gender parity with respect to school enrolment with increases the numbers of women in ministerial positions (48%) and one of the highest proportions (46%) of female members of parliament in the world (World Economic Forum, 2019). Findings from the South African Social Attitude Survey (SASAS 2012) also paint the picture of an increasing degree of feminization of the labour market and shifting of conventional gender models (Human Sciences Research

Examining vulnerability and resilience in maternal, newborn and child health through a gender lens in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

“…Male partner involvement is also crucial for PMTCT of HIV, especially because this requires mothers to use antiretroviral therapy and feed the child using formula feeding 44. Although the involvement of the spouse during childbirth and child-rearing could alleviate some of the economic implications of motherhood, unfortunately, many male partners are not usually involved in childcare 63. A few studies in our review reported on women’s experiences of intimate partner violence and how this intersects with maternal and child vulnerabilities 42–44.…”

Introduction: A family systems approach to promote maternal, child and adolescent nutrition

“…Further, it was common for mothers to report that someone other than the father was the main source of help with the baby. Other research in South Africa Erzse et al (2021) found that fathers had limited involvement in child nutrition, but they wanted to be more involved. Based on the findings of Drysdale et al, the authors suggest ways to increase father involvement through efforts at the individual, couple and structural levels.…”

Parent and implementer attitudes on gender-equal caregiving in theory and practice: perspectives on the impact of a community-led parenting empowerment program in rural Kenya and Zambia

“…Author details 1 African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. 2 Episcopal Relief & Development, New York, USA. 3 Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Programmes (ZACOP), Lusaka, Zambia.…”

“…In many communities particularly within sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), fathers play an important role in decision-making within the home, providing financial support and are traditionally considered the main breadwinners [ 1 ]. As pointed out by Erzse and her collegues, in SSA, both men and elderly women support patriarchal gender divisions of labour, which means that women are primarily responsible for early life nutrition and care [ 2 ]. A mother’s responsibility in parenting traditionally included all “activities within the home, such as feeding, cooking, bathing and cleaning the house” [p. 21] [ 3 ].…”

“…These roles and responsibilities based on a person's gender are reinforced during traditional lessons that a couple undergoes before marriage. Many fathers still believe that caring for a child is mainly the responsibility of the mother, especially during the first one to two years of a child's life [ 2 ].…”