Explore the profound impact of single-parent households on child poverty in South Africa, examining the economic implications and the urgent need for systemic change. Picture Courtney Africa, Independent Newspapers.
"Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, and those who care for and protect our people", former South African president, Nelson Mandela.
Experiencing poverty during childhood can lead to lasting harmful effects that compromise not only children’s health and welfare but can also hinder future opportunities for economic mobility, which may be passed on to future generations. An intergenerational cycle of economic disadvantages weighs heavily not only on children and families experiencing poverty but also on the nation by reducing future national prosperity and increasing the burden on the educational, criminal justice, and healthcare systems. In South Africa, we wish to break that cycle. Single-parent households contribute to child poverty in South Africa.
In the absence of a partner, sole parents with young children are more likely than couple households to need formal childcare to meet work commitments. As childcare costs can be substantial, they are critical for a sole parent’s decision to work.
A report (NMCF Child Poverty Study The economic impact of child poverty in South Africa) by the Nelson Mandela Fund partnered with Deloitte, was produced and they stated that we have multidimensional poverty in South Africa, and violence had the biggest impact on child wellbeing and affected the trajectory of the lives of children in South Africa. The government, the private sector, and NGOs are investing an estimated R700bn per annum in the social wage and other interventions to alleviate child poverty, but we are not getting the results of those investments. As a result, the state is losing R1.3 trillion in potential income that could be earned by getting the right returns on the social investment.
The report states “The frameworks (including section 28 of the Constitution) that government has put in place to protect children, are consistently undermined in homes, schools, and communities. The cost of violence against children is estimated to be between 2.3 and 6% of the GDP.”
The study makes the following noteworthy conclusions:
Direct spend: the government It is estimated that government spend on alleviating or reducing child poverty amounts to R656 billion or 9.8% of the South African GDP. Child poverty spending is unpacked by apportioning the national budget spending on the poverty alleviation categories of: • Community development • Social cohesion and safer communities • Health • Basic education • Social protection.
In addition, the following number can no longer be ignored by policymakers, whilst parents should take note and apply the principles to their own children to prevent intergenerational poverty. The indirect impact of future foregone earnings It is estimated that the loss of potential earnings – or the indirect economic impact of child poverty is around R1.3 trillion or 17.8% of the South African GDP. By analysing the results of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) database, which is a government-commissioned longitudinal study launched in 2008 to track population changes over time, Deloitte was able to contrast the income trajectory for children living in poverty with that of children not living in poverty.
Families are changing worldwide. Of the world’s 2·3 billion children, 320 million (14%) are living in a single-parent household—18% in France, 20% in Canada, 24% in the UK, 27% in the USA, and 43% in South Africa. Single-parent families are becoming increasingly common in many countries, due to rising rates of divorce and couples having children outside of marriage. These trends are set to increase. The OECD report, “Doing Better for Families”, projects that by 2025–30 the proportion of sole-parent families is expected to rise in all OECD countries. This report states “Families are the cornerstone of society. They play a central economic role, creating economies of scale for people living together and as the source of home production. They are a crucial engine of solidarity, redistributing resources (cash, in-kind, or time) among individuals, households, and generations. They provide protection and insurance against hardship. Families offer identity, love, care, and development to their members and form the core of many social networks.”
According to nap.nationalacademies.org “Over the past 50 years, single-parent families have become much more common. There is a strong association between growing up in a single-parent family and childhood poverty.” The work of this organisation also states “Family structures differ markedly by race/ethnicity and education levels. The largest proportions of children living with both married parents could be found among Asian children, followed by White and Hispanic children, while the fewest number proportion of children living with both married parents was Black children.” It is also a disappointing fact that Low-income and younger people are most likely to report being victims of crime in their neighbourhoods’ and schools. Incarceration rates disproportionately affect children in families with low incomes.
A World Average of 14% are living in a single-parent household. The South African problem needs to be addressed at the appropriate social level as this cannot be left to politicians and educators to rectify on their own.
Child maintenance - the duty to support a child - is more than a right. It ensures children have their basic needs met. It also means single mothers don't have to shoulder the responsibility of parenthood alone, which can deepen their poverty. Despite the persistent gender wage gap, in 2023, 42.3% of South African households were headed by women, with the highest prevalence in rural areas (47.6%), particularly in the Eastern Cape province (48.8%). This disproportionate burden often pushes single mothers toward financial hardship.
In South Africa, child maintenance is regulated by the Maintenance Act, of 1998. When a custodial parent, often the mother, seeks support from the other parent, they can apply at their local magistrate's court. The process involves applying financial details, such as income and expenses. The court then schedules a hearing to review the case. A summons is issued to the other parent (usually the father), who may agree to the maintenance arrangement or contest it.
Nokukhanya Ndhlovu, from the centre for social development in Africa, faculty of humanities at the University of Johannesburg has studied gender, social development issues, and structural violence for over a decade. She states that structural violence is a form of violence caused by unjust political, socio-cultural, and economic systems that hinder people's ability to achieve a decent quality of life. She stated that she was recently involved in a project focused on child maintenance issues in South Africa's Eastern Cape. “This issue is deeply interwoven with the pervasive influence of patriarchy and patriarchal institutions. Inefficient government systems and gender insensitivity by state officials add to the problems that affect women and children severely.”
The national average indicates that 19,5%, that is almost one out of five children do not live with either their mothers or fathers. That child is at a tremendous disadvantage in life.
Ndhlovu states that women were in precarious employment and heavily dependent on the government's monthly child support grant of R530 (about US$29.27) a child. (The amount has since been increased to R550). Their financial hardship was worsened by the lack of financial support from their children's fathers. A substantial number of the women expressed deep frustration and disappointment with the justice system, claiming it to be patriarchal and biased towards men.
We owe it to our children to give them the best platform possible to compete in an extremely competitive world society. They need to be safe, nurtured, and cared for, in a healthy environment with proper health care, the need to feel and be safe, with access to information, and a learning environment fit for purpose. Then they will be happy and perform at their best and with confidence and strong self-belief.
* Kruger is an independent analyst.
** The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Personal Finance or Independent Newspapers.
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