Poverty, Gender and Social Protection: Child Support Grants in Soweto, South Africa

Abstract

The reduction of poverty after the demise of apartheid is attributed largely to South Africa's expansive social protection program. A key driver of this growth has been the Child Support Grant established in 1998. Although the grant was not intended only for women caregivers of children, it is accessed mainly by women. This presents a rich opportunity to examine the gendered nature of poverty and to assess the contribution of the program to poverty reduction from a gender perspective. This article draws on household survey data in one of the poorest urban communities in Johannesburg with the highest uptake of the grant. It provides insight into the gendered impact of the grant and identifies key challenges in the development of gender-sensitive social protection strategies.

Keywords:

• cash transfers
• child support grants
• gender
• women
• poverty
• social protection
• South Africa

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the South Africa Netherlands Partnership for Alternatives in Development (SANPAD) for funding for this research and for the helpful insights from the research reference group to the project: Vivienne Bozalek, Shireen Hassim, Tessa Hochfeld, Nhlanhla Jordan, Trudie Knijn, and Francie Lund.