Seven ‘deadly’ assumptions: unravelling the implications of HIV/AIDS among grandmothers in South Africa and beyond

Abstract

Over the past few years, the pivotal roles older women play in responding to the unprecedented HIV/AIDS epidemic in southern Africa has received increasing recognition by academics, governments, funding agencies, non-governmental organisations, and citizens around the world. Yet, discourses surrounding AIDS and ‘grandmotherhood’ are laden with a number of ungrounded assumptions that have important implications for researchers, advocates and decision-makers. Drawing on ethnographic and survey data predominantly from South Africa, this paper challenges seven such assumptions. The paper illustrates how certain prevailing ‘wisdoms’ about grandmothers and AIDS in southern Africa are not entirely accurate and may mask many women's struggles and vulnerabilities, perpetuate stereotypes and misguide well-meaning policies. It also suggests that the societal impacts of AIDS in the region are, at present, not as dramatic as often portrayed, largely because the strength and resilience of many older women have cushioned some of the negative consequences. The paper thus calls for more nuanced and forward-looking analyses and interventions – ones that recognise grandmothers as central to the society's thin safety net and that grapple with older women's complex and diverse vulnerabilities.

Re-focusing the Gender Lens: Caregiving Women, Family Roles and HIV/AIDS Vulnerability in Lesotho

“…Providing support for men’s renewed involvement in families could also strengthen households by alleviating gendered constraints to men’s participation [73,74]. Further, with over half of adult HIV infections in women, attention to the gendered dimensions of women’s individual risk is important – including HIV prevention messages specific to the demographic group of married women, an often overlooked risk group [67,75]. Lesotho’s program to provide ‘child grants’ for caregivers of vulnerable children, initiated in 2009, is an important step toward recognizing the importance of economic and livelihood strategies for women, and providing needed resources to some of the country’s poorest and most AIDS-affected households [76].…”

The Impacts of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic and Socioeconomic Development on the Living Arrangements of Older Persons in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Country‐Level Analysis

“…As a more long-term strategy, countries will need to consider the consequences to the communities when today's grandparents pass away themselves. As Chazan (2008) has recently cautioned, we may need to brace for more devastating changes to African families in the years to come.…”

‘Key to a good life’ or just a bad investment? How do carers of children view and value education in the context of high HIV and AIDS?

“…Although this may seem surprising, research conducted among high HIV prevalence, low-resourced communities, including our study, also shows that the epidemic may be less of a concern than other more immediate stresses -such as lack of money, shelter and food insecurityeven for families affected directly by the epidemic Chazan, , 2008. Also, as highlighted above, perceptions and beliefs around life expectancy or future opportunities, on which individual decisions are likely to be based, do not necessarily reflect objective values and phenomena which the epidemic is impacting negatively.…”

“…The area is still characterized by poverty and migrancy (Charmes, 2003) and HIV ANC prevalence in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality was estimated at 34.1% in 2006/07 and 37.4% in 2007/08 (Health Systems Trust, 2009). Chazan's ethnographic work also exposes the particular vulnerability of elderly female traders in the Junction who are also carers of children (Chazan, , 2008.…”