GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SOURCES AND AVAILABILITY OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG SOUTH AFRICAN CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN

ABSTRACT

Research indicates that social support can have a protective effects on health, yet these effects may not be the same for men and women. Gender has been shown to predict the amount of social support available, the nature of social networks and effects of social support on health and quality of life. This analysis uses data from a mixed methods study, consisting of a quantitative survey (n = 2477) and in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 24), to explore the gendered nature of social support sources and availability among caregivers of children in HIV-endemic South African communities. Survey findings show how both child care and social support are provided disproportionately by women, who are receiving less support than their male counterparts; sources also differ, with women more likely to receive support from family members. Qualitative data highlight how gendered understandings of masculinities and femininities are drawn on to make sense of these differences. These results reinforce the usefulness of exploring social support by gender. They also point to the need both for more immediate interventions to support women in HIV-endemic communities, and longer run interventions to address gender inequalities and norms that position women as natural carers and men as unable to care.

Keywords:

• social support
• gender
• caregivers of children
• HIV
• South Africa

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marisa Casale

MARISA CASALE is a Senior Researcher at the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Marisa has over 17 years of experience in development finance and inter-disciplinary health research. Her research over the past 10 years has focused on the Southern African region and has covered areas including HIV prevention among youth, the economic aspects of HIV, social networks and health, and caregiving in the context of HIV.

Andrew Gibbs

ANDREW GIBBS is a Researcher at the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has a PhD in Psychology which focused on men and masculinities and his research interests are around gender-based violence, young men and masculinities, livelihoods and interventions, as well as more broadly around how the field of masculinities is shaped.