The child support grant and rural womens’ livelihoods a case study of Umsinga.

Abstract

There is a body of literature that locates social protection at the centre of poverty reduction. Other discourses see social welfare as creating dependency. In the literature, that links social protection to poverty reduction, social grants are seen as a means of addressing poverty and vulnerability, as they provide safety nets for the poor. The South African Child Support Grant is a well-known example of this as it contributes significantly to household income in a majority of households, especially those whose substantial source of income is made up of social grants. The grant is targeted at children who live in poor households and was introduced in 1998. This study uses the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) as a framework for exploring whether and how the child support grant can facilitate access to a wide range of livelihood options and opportunities in rural extended family homesteads. The thesis explores a wide range of literature on social protection starting from the earlier debates on welfare to current works on social protection as part of development policy globally and in the South African context. It also explores the concept of agency and of households. The study was conducted in Msinga, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal using interviews and a focus group discussion with some of the women who receive the grant. In exploring the main research question, the study found that women spent most of the grant money on consumable goods, but also invest some of it on acquiring productive assets. It also found that the grant has generally had positive outcomes for the livelihoods of the women who participated in the study.