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“They are being made into like baby-making machines” : a study of the impact of gender structures and norms on family planning for Xhosa women in rural Zithulele, South Africa

Hölscher, Hannah LU (2020) MIDM19 20201
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Women in rural areas of South Africa battle with many structural issues, including unemployment, education and accessibility to health services, greatly delimiting family planning. However, socially constructed and internalized gender norms pose an additional and potentially greater barrier to family planning in traditional and patriarchal settings. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing research on the relation of gendered structures and norms to family planning outcomes. It explores how gender stratified systems and structural determinants exasperate such norms for pregnant women. A case-study was conducted in rural Zithulele, based on theoretical concepts from public health, feminism, constructivism and development studies, to... (More)
Women in rural areas of South Africa battle with many structural issues, including unemployment, education and accessibility to health services, greatly delimiting family planning. However, socially constructed and internalized gender norms pose an additional and potentially greater barrier to family planning in traditional and patriarchal settings. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing research on the relation of gendered structures and norms to family planning outcomes. It explores how gender stratified systems and structural determinants exasperate such norms for pregnant women. A case-study was conducted in rural Zithulele, based on theoretical concepts from public health, feminism, constructivism and development studies, to conduct semi-structured interviews with pregnant Xhosa mothers. It follows a gendered health framework to determine localized socio-economic and family planning outcomes, finding that there are a number of deeply gendered structural determinants, which interplay with gender norms pertaining to masculinity, femininity and contraception, creating restrictive and gender-biased settings limiting women’s family planning options. The found consequences include limited knowledge on family planning and contraceptive side-effects, discontent with pregnancies and not finishing secondary schooling, which affect the long-term socio-economic status and family planning options for individual Xhosa women in rural South Africa. (Less)
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author
Hölscher, Hannah LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
gender norms, gender roles, family planning, South Africa, rural, sexual health and reproductive rights, structural determinants of health
language
English
id
9008886
date added to LUP
2020-06-12 16:36:20
date last changed
2020-06-12 16:36:20
@misc{9008886,
  abstract     = {{Women in rural areas of South Africa battle with many structural issues, including unemployment, education and accessibility to health services, greatly delimiting family planning. However, socially constructed and internalized gender norms pose an additional and potentially greater barrier to family planning in traditional and patriarchal settings. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing research on the relation of gendered structures and norms to family planning outcomes. It explores how gender stratified systems and structural determinants exasperate such norms for pregnant women. A case-study was conducted in rural Zithulele, based on theoretical concepts from public health, feminism, constructivism and development studies, to conduct semi-structured interviews with pregnant Xhosa mothers. It follows a gendered health framework to determine localized socio-economic and family planning outcomes, finding that there are a number of deeply gendered structural determinants, which interplay with gender norms pertaining to masculinity, femininity and contraception, creating restrictive and gender-biased settings limiting women’s family planning options. The found consequences include limited knowledge on family planning and contraceptive side-effects, discontent with pregnancies and not finishing secondary schooling, which affect the long-term socio-economic status and family planning options for individual Xhosa women in rural South Africa.}},
  author       = {{Hölscher, Hannah}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“They are being made into like baby-making machines” : a study of the impact of gender structures and norms on family planning for Xhosa women in rural Zithulele, South Africa}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}