Explanations of resilience in women and girls: How applicable to black South African girls

Jefferis, Tamlynn C.; Theron, Linda

doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2018.03.006

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 100 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Another explanation for low rates of depression risk is that informal women workers may have built significant agency and resilience in response to the considerable adversities they have faced in the workplace. A person displays resilience when they are able to adjust well to significant risk [43]. Although our study did not measure women's sense of agency or resilience, it appears that informal workers are resourceful and empowered women who may have learned to actively buffer their health from life stressors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Very few studies are available that explain resilience among women in SA, let alone women who work in the informal economy who face many risks. More research is needed to understand demonstrate and explain this resilience, as well as the role of social support, to inform more effective mental health interventions, particularly for marginalised women [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, perinatal depression and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

Horwood

Haskins

Rachael

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: There is a high burden of depression globally, including in South Africa. Maternal depression is associated with poverty, unstable income, food insecurity, and lack of partner support, and may lead to poor outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa one-third of working women are in informal work, which is associated with socioeconomic vulnerability.Methods: A cross sectional survey explored work setting and conditions, food security and risk of depression among informal working women with young children (0-3years). Depression risk was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) and Whooley score. Food insecurity was evaluated using USAID Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HIFAS). Data was analysed using SPSS and STATA.Results: Interviews were conducted with 265 informal women workers. Types of work included domestic work, home-based work, informal employees and own account workers, most of whom were informal traders. Most participants (149/265; 56.2%) earned between US$70-200 per month, but some participants (79/265; 29.8%) earned less than US$70 per month, and few earned >US$200 per month (37/265; 14.0%). Many participants experienced mild (38/267; 14.3%), moderate (72/265; 27.2%) or severe (43/265; 16%) food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was significantly higher among participants with the lowest income compared to those with the highest income (p= 0.027). Women who received financial support from the baby’s father were less likely to be food insecure (p=0.03). Using EPDS scores, 22/265 (8.3%) women were designated as being at risk of depression. This was similar among postnatal women and women with older children. Household food insecurity was significantly associated with depression risk (p<0.001).Conclusions: Informal women workers were shown to be vulnerable with low incomes and high rates of food insecurity, thus increasing the risk for poor maternal health, and child health and development outcomes. However, levels of depression risk were low compared to previous estimates in South Africa, suggesting that informal workers may have high levels of resilience. Interventions to improve social protection, access to health services, and support for safe childcare in the workplace could support these mothers care for their children.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, perinatal depression and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

Horwood

Haskins

Rachael

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The converse may also be true if high levels of resilience enable women to identify and take up opportunities to generate income from informal work. A person displays resilience when they are able to adjust well to signi cant risk [54]. Although our study did not measure women's sense of agency or resilience, it appears that informal workers are resourceful and empowered women who may have learned to actively buffer their health from life stressors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, depression risk and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

Horwood

Haskins

Rachael

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: There is a high burden of depression globally, including in South Africa. Maternal depression is associated with poverty, unstable income, food insecurity, and lack of partner support, and may lead to poor outcomes for mothers and children. In South Africa one-third of working women are in informal work, which is associated with socioeconomic vulnerability. Methods: A cross sectional survey explored work setting and conditions, food security and risk of depression among informal working women with young children (0-3years). Depression risk was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) and Whooley score. Food insecurity was evaluated using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data was analysed using SPSS and Stata. Results: Interviews were conducted with 265 informal women workers. Types of work included domestic work, home-based work, informal employees and own account workers, most of whom were informal traders. Most participants (149/265; 56.2%) earned between US$70-200 per month, but some participants (79/265; 29.8%) earned less than US$70 per month, and few earned >US$200 per month (37/265; 14.0%). Many participants experienced mild (38/267; 14.3%), moderate (72/265; 27.2%) or severe (43/265; 16%) food insecurity. Severe food insecurity was significantly higher among participants with the lowest income compared to those with the highest income (p= 0.027). Women who received financial support from the baby’s father were less likely to be food insecure (p=0.03). Using EPDS scores, 22/265 (8.3%) women were designated as being at risk of depression. This was similar among postnatal women and women with older children. Household food insecurity was significantly associated with depression risk (p<0.001).Conclusions: Informal women workers were shown to be vulnerable with low incomes and high rates of food insecurity, thus increasing the risk for poor maternal health. However, levels of depression risk were low compared to previous estimates in South Africa, suggesting that informal workers may have high levels of resilience. Interventions to improve social protection, access to health services, and support for safe childcare in the workplace could improve the health and wellbeing of these mothers and support them to care for their children.

show abstract

“…Nevertheless, subsequently the focus shifted towards exploring how broader systems facilitate processes of resilience. This led to an understanding that resilience processes are facilitated by culture and context-specific transactions between individuals and their social ecology [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We just been forced to do it’: exploring victimization and agency among internally displaced young mothers in Bogotá

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Armed conflict in Colombia has a history of 50 years that continues to this day. According to the Victims Record of Colombia, from 1985 to 2013 2.683.335 women have been victims of the armed conflict. Women have been described as the main victims of the armed conflict, especially in the Colombian cultural context that in some regions is still considered to be a ‘machista’ and patriarchal one. In contrast, some authors have explicitly stressed Colombian women’s agency instead of positioning them only as victims. Some of them are described as ‘survivors’ of the war, emphasizing their impressive resistance to the outcomes of war and forced displacement. In contrast to the background of these scholarly discussions, our study focused on how displaced women living in Bogotá themselves articulate their experiences of agency and victimization. This paper will therefore explore how women, in reconstructing their life stories, expressed the tussles between victimization and agency. Methods We used qualitative methods conducted within an ethnographic approach. Based on ten years of experience in the neighborhood and one year of fieldwork, we collected the life stories of twenty internally displaced mothers, and ran eight workshops with them. We analyzed the narratives with a specific focus on how women expressed victimization and agency in four important periods in their life that related to the process of displacement: when they left home, when they became pregnant, when they were forced to leave their towns, and when they arrived in Bogotá. Results Participants’ life stories showed how they struggled with agency during their lives. They were victims of abuse and violence during childhood and finally decided to leave their homes. They decided to have their babies despite the fact that they were abandoned by their partners and families, and after doubts about and attempts to have an abortion. Throughout the process of displacement the participants had been engaged in ambiguous relationships with armed groups. Finally they arrived in Bogotá and faced adverse circumstances but were looking for better opportunities for them and their children. Conclusion The analysis of how internally displaced women narrated their life stories showed us that the concepts that dominate scholarly debates about agency, victimization and survivorship do not do justice to the life stories of the participants in our study. These stories show that changes with a major impact were loaded with ambiguity and were characterized by helplessness, lack of control and agency simultaneously. The reconstruction of these life stories goes beyond the stereotype of displaced women as only ‘victims’, but points also to their agency and courageous decisions they made in contexts that were not controlled by them and where support was often lacking. Instead of label them, it is important to understand the complexity of the life experiences of IDW, in o...

show abstract

Explanations of resilience in women and girls: How applicable to black South African girls

Cited by 23 publications

References 100 publications

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, perinatal depression and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, perinatal depression and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

Addressing the interaction between food insecurity, depression risk and informal work: findings of a cross-sectional survey among informal women workers with young children in South Africa.

‘We just been forced to do it’: exploring victimization and agency among internally displaced young mothers in Bogotá

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About