Browsing by Author "Kane, Dianna"
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- ItemOpen AccessMulti-Dimensional Forms of Poverty Experienced by Unemployed HIV-positive Mothers Living in Khayelitsha(2009) Kane, DiannaFor the millions of unemployed South Africans, poverty is a daily experience. However, traditional economic measures of poverty are failing to provide policy makers with a full picture of the lived experience of poverty. Through two years of participant observation at Philani Nutrition Center, conversations and home visits with local outreach workers, and in-depth interviews with five HIVpositive unemployed mothers in Khayelitsha, this paper explores the multiple dimensions of poverty experienced by these mothers and their children. Using class and gender-based theories of structural oppression, this paper argues that these mothers are marginalised from the labour market and are members of a distinct unemployed underclass. Three main findings emerged from this study. One, the state of chronic unemployment has profound effects on both the material and emotional wellbeing of these women and their families. As a result of the years of race- and class-based discrimination, their opportunities to improve their situations are minimal. Two, the presence of HIV illness serves to reinforce the continued reproduction of this disadvantage through its debilitating physical and social effects. The mother's own HIV illness, as well as the intensive care required by HIV-positive children, limits a mother's ability to work and ensure the child's wellbeing. Three, the structure of patriarchy further ties mothers to their domestic and childcare responsibilities, often without the support of their partners. Unemployment and insufficient social assistance increases their pressure to earn an income in addition to fulfilling daily household responsibilities. It is important to understand how poverty manifests itself in the lives of these women and their children in order to design poverty reduction strategies that address the many dimensions of their experience. The structural causes for their poverty need to be recognised in order to motivate meaningful changes in our society, with the goal of creating an enabling environment for these mothers. This will then provide the mothers with the space in which to transcend their current position in the underclass and ensure the many aspects of wellbeing for themselves and their children.
- ItemOpen AccessResponding to multi-dimensional forms of poverty in the context of HIV/AIDS: experiences of mothers in Khayelitsha(2008) Kane, Dianna; Head, JudithSouth Africa is a highly unequal society, comprised of a small, wealthy elite class and a large population living in deep, chronic poverty plagued with unemployment. Those suffering from the greatest poverty are unemployed women caring for children. In the context of a distinct underclass that has been historically marginalized from the labour market and a welfare system does not provide assistance for the unemployed, these women are left to cope with their own poverty. Additionally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and compromises the capabilities of these women and children. Guided by a livelihood framework and based on a multi-dimensional definition of poverty, the study explored how women navigate within their difficult environment to respond to the poverty of their children.
- ItemOpen AccessResponding to Multi-Dimensional Poverty: Exploring the Impacts of Government, Community, and the Individual Resilience of HIV-positive Unemployed Mothers in Khayelitsha(2009) Kane, DiannaMillions of women and children are living in poverty in South Africa.?Many interventions have been implemented in an attempt to alleviate their poverty, from government assistance grants to community-based organizations.?However, mothers also employ their own coping mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of poverty in their households. Following a model of multi-dimensional poverty that incorporates material, emotional, spiritual, and social elements of poverty, this paper explores the various ways that government, community, and individuals are making an impact on the experience of poverty among impoverished families with young children.?Through participant observation and in-depth, qualitative interviews with HIV-positive, unemployed mothers belonging to Philani Nutrition Center's Outreach program, this study came to several key conclusions. One, government social assistance grants alleviate only minor forms of material deprivation among poor families and, due to their limited scope, fail to sufficiently address the poverty of unemployed households. Two, social networks and community resources provide a significant source of emotional support for unemployed mothers, especially those with HIV. Philani Nutrition Center's peer-based outreach model addresses many of the gaps left by government programs in achieving greater overall quality of life in the lives of impoverished women and children. Three, individual resiliency among mothers contributes to their family's wellbeing as well, as the women employ their own strengths and identify creative solutions to mitigate the effects of poverty. This paper concludes that it is important to analyze the specific impacts of various poverty alleviation interventions to ensure that all aspects of a family's wellbeing are sufficiently addressed. Looking at the strategies employed by mothers living in poverty offers valuable insight into the capabilities of the poor, as well as highlighting areas where further support is needed.