Two-fifths of SA children grow up in single-parent homes
Social Research Foundation survey finds that single parenting is more pronounced in rural than urban areas
Two-fifths of children across political party lines and income levels in SA have grown up in single-parent homes, a report by the Social Research Foundation has revealed.
Against the backdrop of high levels of unemployment and crime, a sluggish economy and persistent load-shedding, households with dual or multiple incomes are more likely to successfully navigate the high inflationary environment and rising interest rates.
Last year the Social Research Foundation (SRF), a think-tank focusing on public policy issues and the promotion of democracy, conducted a telephonic survey on the extent of single parenting in SA. The randomly selected and representative sample consisted of 3,200 registered voters and the survey has a national margin of error of 1.7%.
Roughly four in 10 SA children grew up in single-parent homes and roughly the same proportion of current parents are single parents, the survey found.
When compared by party affiliation, ANC voters had the highest number of single parents at 55%, while Freedom Front Plus voters registered the lowest number at 22%.
The study found that generally the responsibility of single parenting rests on mothers to a significantly greater degree than on fathers.
Moreover, the SRF survey found that single parenting is more pronounced in rural than in urban areas and significantly more pronounced in poorer communities than in higher-income communities.
This was evidenced in the data showing that more than two-thirds (69%) of participants earning below R2,000 a month reported single parenting while those in higher income groups were more likely not to be in the single parent group.
According to the Household Affordability index released in January, core foods — maize, dairy, vegetables and fruit — cost consumers an average of R2,706.13 in January, meaning many of those single-parent households do not have enough to meet basic dietary needs.
This is the scenario for more than 15-million South Africans who rely on the social grant system to survive.