Motherhood, Childcare and Work: Exploring the Multilayered Challenges of Finding Paid Work among Young Mothers in South Africa

ABSTRACT

Most young South African mothers continue to face obstacles that impact their decision to participate in paid work. The responsibility to provide care to young children is one of the obstacles that influence their labour force participation. Drawing on qualitative data from 20 young mothers, this study explores how the availability and nature of childcare affects the ability to take part in paid work among young mothers. The findings suggest that most mothers with young children are unemployed and mainly rely on social grants. Many of them could not afford to pay for childcare; hence, providing childcare remained their responsibility with support from close family members and neighbours. This study highlights the need for policies and interventions aimed at providing subsidised childcare for poor mothers that could relieve the burden of unpaid work as well as encourage participation in paid work and thus narrow the gender-income gap.

KEYWORDS:

• Childcare
• labour force participation
• motherhood
• unemployment
• unpaid work

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Labour force participation in the context of this study refers to “actively seeking employment or actively working”.

2 As noted, all names here are pseudonyms.