This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Wittenberg, M. Articles by Collinson, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wittenberg, M. Articles by Collinson, M. A. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Household transitions in rural South Africa, 1996—2003

School of Economics, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Mark A. Collinson

MRC/WITS Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Aims: To investigate changes in household structure in rural South Africa over the period 1996—2003, a period marked by politico-structural change and an escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic. In particular, the authors examine whether there is dissolution of extended family living arrangements. Methods: Data from the Agincourt demographic surveillance system, in rural north-eastern South Africa, and the rural sub-samples of selected nationally representative data sets were used to compare changes in the cross-sectional distribution of household types. Surveillance system data were further analysed to estimate the transition probabilities between household types. The latent pressures for change within the Agincourt area were analysed by projecting the household transition probabilities forward and comparing the projected steady-state distributions to the current distributions. Results: The national surveys show dramatic changes in the social structure in rural areas, particularly an increase in the importance of single person households. These trends are not confirmed in the surveillance system data. The national ``changes'' can possibly be ascribed to changes in sampling frames or household definitions. The transition probabilities within the Agincourt area show considerable changes between household types, despite a slower change in the aggregate distributions. The most important projected long-run changes are an increase in the proportion of three-generation linear households. ``Simpler'' household types such as single person households and nuclear households will become relatively less common. Conclusions: The structure of households is evolving under the pressure of social change and increased mortality due to HIV/AIDS. There is no evidence, however, that the social fabric is unravelling or that individuals are becoming increasingly isolated residentially.

Key Words: Agincourt demographic surveillance system • household structure • impact of HIV/AIDS • nuclear households • single-person households • South Africa

References

• Ziehl S. Documenting changing family patterns in South Africa: Are census data of any value? African Sociological Rev 2001;5:36—62.
• Russell M. Are urban black families nuclear? A comparative study of black and white South African family norms. Social Dynamics 2003;29:153—76.
• Russell M. Understanding Black households: The problem. Social Dynamics 2003;29:5—47.
• Hareven TK Cycles, courses and cohorts: Reflections on theoretical and methodological approaches to the historical study of family development. J Social History 1978;12:97—109.
• Case A. Does money protect health status? Evidence from South African pensions. NBER Working Paper 8495, 2001.
• Case A. Health, income and economic development. Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics 2001/ 02. p 221—41.
• Case A., Deaton A. Large cash transfers to the elderly. Economic J 1998;108:1330—61.[CrossRef]
• Castro-Leal F. The impact of public health spending on poverty and inequality in South Africa. World Bank Informal Discussion Paper No. 19333, February 1999.
• Castro-Leal F., Dayton J., Demery L., Mehra K. Public spending on health care in Africa: Do the poor benefit? Bull World Health Organ 2000;78:66—74.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Sloth-Nielsen J. Too little, too late? Provisioning for Child Headed Households. ESR Rev 2002;3. Available at: http://www.communitylawcentre.org.za/ser/esr2002/2002july_child. php#child (accessed 27 July 2005).
• Leibbrandt M., Poswell L., Naidoo P., Welsh M., Woolard I. Measuring recent changes in South African inequality and poverty using 1996 and 2001 census data. Working Paper 04/84. Cape Town: Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town; 2004.
• Statistics South Africa, General household survey, July 2003. Metadata: Statistical Release P0318, Pretoria: Statistics South Africa; 2003.
• Gilbertson G., Gurak D. Household transitions in the migrations of Dominicans and Colombians to New York. Int Migration Rev 1992;26:22—45.[CrossRef]
• Hunter A., Ensminger M. Diversity and fluidity in children's living arrangements: Family transitions in an urban Afro-American community. J Marriage and the Family 1992;54: 418—26.[CrossRef]
• Richards T., White MJ, Tsui A. Changing living arrangements: A hazard model of transitions among household types. Demography 1987;24:77—97.[Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• White M., Tsui A. A panel-study of family-level structural change. J Marriage and Family 1986;48:435—46.[CrossRef]
• Wittenberg M., Collinson M. Restructuring households in rural South Africa: Reflections on average household size in the Agincourt sub-district 1992—2003. Cape Town: School of Economics, University of Cape Town and Johannesburg: Agincourt Health and Population Unit, University of the Witwatersrand; 2005.
• Pirouz F. Have labour market outcomes affected household structure in South Africa? A descriptive analysis of households. Johannesburg: School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; 2005.
• Garenne M., Tollman S., Kahn K. Premarital fertility in rural South Africa: A challenge to existing population policy. Stud Fam Plann 2000;31:46—54.
• Cherlin A. Changing family and household: contemporary lessons from historical research. Ann Rev Sociol 1983;9:51—66.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Settersten R. Jr, Hägestad G. What's the latest? Cultural age deadlines for family transitions. Gerontologist 1996;36: 178—88.[Abstract]
• Settersten R. Jr, Hägestad G. What's the latest? II. Cultural age deadlines for educational and work transitions. Gerontologist 1996;36:602—13.[Abstract]

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 35, No. 69 suppl, 130-137 (2007)
DOI: 10.1080/14034950701355429


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Wittenberg, M. Articles by Collinson, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wittenberg, M. Articles by Collinson, M. A. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?