Despite the increased focus on men in reproductive research, little is known about male involvement in the initial decision/s regarding parenthood (i.e., to become a parent or not) and the subsequent decision-making that may ensue (e.g., choices about timing or spacing of births). In particular, the parenthood decision-making of “White”, heterosexual men from the middle class has been understudied, as indicated in the existing literature. In South Africa, this oversight has been exacerbated by the tendency for researchers to concentrate on “problematic” men, to the exclusion of the “boring, normal case”. I argue that this silence in the literature is a result of the taken for granted nature of parenthood in the “normal” heterosexual life course. In this study, I have turned the spotlight onto the norm of “Whiteness” and heterosexuality by studying those who have previously been overlooked by researchers. I focus on “White” Afrikaans men’s involvement in parenthood decision-making. My aim was to explore how constructions of gender inform male involvement in decision-making, especially within the South African context where social transformation has challenged traditional conceptions of male selfhood giving rise to new and contested masculine identities and new discourses of manhood and fatherhood. In an effort to ensure that women’s voices are not marginalised in the research, as is often the case in studies of men and masculinity, I conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews about male involvement in decision-making with both “White” Afrikaans women and men. There were 23 participants in total, who all identified as heterosexual and middle-class. The participants were divided into two age cohorts (21 – 30 years and >40 years), which were then differentiated according to gender, reproductive status, and relationship status. Treating the interviews as jointly produced narratives, I analysed them by means of a performativity/performance lens. This dual analytic lens focuses on how particular narrative performances are simultaneously shaped by the interview setting and the broader discursive context. The lens was fashioned by synthesising Butler’s theory of performativity with Taylor’s narrative-discursive method. This synthesis (1) allows for Butler’s notion of “performativity” to be supplemented with that of “performance”; (2) provides a concrete analytical strategy in the form of positioning analysis; and (3) draws attention to both the micro politics of the interview conversation and the operation of power on the macro level, including the possibility of making “gender trouble”. The findings of the study suggest that the participants experienced difficulty narrating about male involvement in parenthood decision-making, owing to the taken for granted nature of parenthood for heterosexual adults. This was evident in participants’ sidelining of issues of “deciding” and “planning” and their alternate construal of childbearing as a non-choice, which, significantly served to bolster hetero-patriarchal norms. A central rhetorical tool for accomplishing these purposes was found in the construction of the “sacralised” child. In discursively manoeuvring around the central problematic, the participants ultimately produced a “silence” in the data that repeats the one in the research literature.

No description available.

A literature and an empirical study were undertaken to investigate home factors affecting the academic performance of a group of learners in three primary schools in the Brits district. From the literature it became evident that the early years of an individual's life are critical for development, especially cognitive development. Parents, as a child's primary educators have an important role to play in their child's cognitive development. By establishing a challenging and stimulating environment in which the child is exposed to a variety of experiences, the parents can enhance their child's cognitive development and by implication his/her later academic performance. Various other factors such as parental involvement, expectations, parenting style and home background were found to affect a child's academic performance. In the empirical study a group of academic achievers and underachievers were compared with regards to early cognitive stimulation received, degree of parental involvement and the quality of their homes. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

A literature and an empirical study were undertaken to investigate home factors affecting the academic performance of a group of learners in three primary schools in the Brits district. From the literature it became evident that the early years of an individual's life are critical for development, especially cognitive development. Parents, as a child's primary educators have an important role to play in their child's cognitive development. By establishing a challenging and stimulating environment in which the child is exposed to a variety of experiences, the parents can enhance their child's cognitive development and by implication his/her later academic performance. Various other factors such as parental involvement, expectations, parenting style and home background were found to affect a child's academic performance. In the empirical study a group of academic achievers and underachievers were compared with regards to early cognitive stimulation received, degree of parental involvement and the quality of their homes. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study describes and analyses changes in women's reproductive behaviour ID developing communities. These changes took more than hundred years to occur ID Western communities but only two to three decades in developing communities such as Taiwan and Barbados. The population of Victoria East district of the Eastern Cape province of South Afiica was chosen as a case study of these changes. Changes in the reproductive behaviour of women are described over a period of twenty-two years. The base year for the study is 1978 and data were collected up to 2001. Changes increased in particular since 1988. Statistical descriptive analyses were undertaken with regard to patterns of changes in variables such as age at the onset of births, child spacing, the mean number of births per woman, fertility regulation, and the number of children ever bom. Variations in patterns were analysed according to age cohorts, occupation and marital status. Information regarding these variables was collected from records at hospitals and clinics. Focus group interviews were held to reflect women's own descriptions and experiences regarding these variables. The research design thus combines the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The findings confirm a pattern of fertility decline that Caldwell described as the African pattern, which is different from that seen in Europe and Asia. It is characterized by a progressive delay in onset of childbearing and reductions in the mean number of childbirths that occur across all age cohorts and are associated with contraceptive accessibility. The high incidence of non-marital childbearing in the Victoria East district however sets the population studied apart from the polygamous Afiican societies on which Caldwell based the African transition. In this respect the population considered resembles the scenarios seen in Latin America, the Caribbean, Botswana and in recent years Europe. The study population shows a divergence in the patterns of marital and non-marital childbearing, with marital childbearing following the African pattem. Because of its high incidence, non-marital childbearing is dominant and the major contributor to the fertility decline that is afoot. The implications of this pattern needs much more in-depth study before comparisons with the above-mentioned communities can be made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie beskryf en ontleed veranderinge in vroue se reproduktiewe gedrag in ontwikkelende gemeenskappe. Hierdie veranderinge het in Westerse gemeenskappe meer as honderd jaar geneem om plaas te vind maar slegs twee tot drie dekades in ontwikkelende gemeenskappe soos Taiwan en Barbados. Die bevolking van die landelike Victoria-Oosdistrik: in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie is gekies as 'n gevalstudie daarvan in Suid- Afrika. Veranderinge in die reproduktiewe gedrag van vroue in hierdie gemeenskap word oor 'n periode van twee-en-twintigjaar beskryf Die basisjaar van die studie is 1978 en data is ingesamel tot en met 2001. Veranderinge het veral toegeneem vanaf 1988. Statistiese-beskrywende ontleding is gedoen ten opsigte van patrone van verandering in veranderlikes soos die ouderdom by die skenk van geboorte, geboorte-spasiëring, die gemiddelde aantal geboortes per vrou, fertiliteitsregulering en die aantal kinders ooit gebore. Variasies in patrone is ook na aanleiding van huwelikstaat en beroep bepaal. Inligting aangaande hierdie veranderlikes is verky vanaf rekords wat by hospitale en klinieke gehou word. Fokusgroeponderhoude is ook onderneem waarvolgens vroue se eie beskrywings en ervarings aangaande die genoemde veranderlikes verkry is. Groepe is saamgestel volgens verskeie ouderdomskohorte en huwelikstaat. Die navorsingsmetodologie behels dus 'n kombinasie van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benaderings. Die bevindings bevestig 'n patroon van fertiliteitsafhame wat deur Caldwell as die Afrikapatroon beskryf word en afwyk van die Europese en Asiatiese patroon. Dit word gekenmerk deur 'n progressiewe vertraging in die aanvang van geboorte-skenk, afhame in die gemiddelde aantal geboortes oor al die ouderdomskohorte en word geassosieer met kontraseptiewe toegankliheid. Die hoë voorkoms van buite-egtelike geboortes in die Victoria-Oosdistrik onderskei egter die bestudeerde bevolking van die poligame Afrika gemeenskappe waarop Caldwell die Afrika-oorgangstipe gebaseer het. In hierdie opsig vertoon die bevolking eerder ooreenkomste met ontwikkelende gemeenskappe m Suid-Amerika, die Karibbiese Eilande, Botswana en die meer onlangse Europa. Die bestudeerde bevolking vertoon uiteenlopende patrone van binne-egtelike en buite-egtelike geboortes met die binneegtelike patroon meer in ooreenstemming met die Afrika-patroon. Die hoë voorkoms van buite-egtelike geboortes domineer egter die algehele patroon en kan beskou work as die hoof bydraende faktor in the afhemende fertiliteit wat waargeneem is. Die implikasies hiervan moet egter veel dieper studie ondergaan alvorens verdere vergelykings met die bogenoemde gemeenskappe gemaak kan word.

La baisse de la fécondité permet aux couples d'investir davantage dans la scolarité de chacun de leurs enfants (évidence dans les pays occidentaux, d’Asie et d’Amérique latine). Ce postulat est l’un des arguments clés des politiques de planification familiale en Afrique subsaharienne. Pourtant, la plupart des études sur l'Afrique ont trouvé une corrélation nulle ou même une relation positive entre le nombre d'enfants dans un ménage et leur niveau de scolarité. Ces résultats mitigés sont généralement expliqués par des solidarités familiales et des transferts de ressources qui pourraient réduire la pression occasionnée par une descendance nombreuse sur les ressources du ménage, et des problèmes méthodologiques inhérents à plusieurs recherches sur la région. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était d’apporter une contribution à une meilleure compréhension des aspects méthodologiques et substantiels relatifs aux liens entre fécondité et scolarisation. Spécifiquement, la thèse visait à évaluer 1) le rôle des réseaux familiaux dans la scolarisation des enfants, 2) la simultanéité des décisions portant sur le nombre d’enfants et leur scolarisation, 3) l’impact causal du nombre d’enfants sur leur scolarisation, et 4) à comprendre les perceptions des parents sur l’école et les coûts et bénéfices de l’éducation des enfants, et dans quelle mesure ces perceptions sont prises en compte dans leurs stratégies reproductives. Quatre articles ont été rédigés en utilisant quatre sources de données complémentaires : l’Observatoire de population de Ouagadougou (OPO), l’enquête Demtrend, l’enquête santé de base et une enquête qualitative, toutes adossées à l’OPO. Dans le premier article, il est ressorti que les familles de grande taille bénéficient d’un appui plus fréquent des réseaux familiaux pour la scolarisation. De plus, les réseaux familiaux seraient en mesure de compenser l’effet négatif d’un nombre élevé d’enfants sur la scolarisation, mais seulement pour une partie de la population qui exclut les plus pauvres. Ainsi, les solidarités familiales de soutien à la scolarisation des enfants sont loin d’être généralisées. Le deuxième article a montré que les enfants dont les mères ont intentionnellement limité leur fécondité avaient de meilleures chances de scolarisation que ceux dont les mères ont connu des problèmes d’infécondité secondaire et n’ont pas atteint leur nombre d’enfants désiré. Par conséquent, les aspirations scolaires ne sont pas indépendantes des décisions de fécondité et l’hypothèse de fécondité naturelle n’est plus tenable dans ce contexte. Le troisième article a révélé, contrairement à la plupart des études antérieures sur l’Afrique subsaharienne, un effet négatif net de la taille de la fratrie sur le niveau d’éducation atteint des enfants, effet qui se renforce d’ailleurs au fur et à mesure que l’on avance dans le système éducatif. Dans le quatrième article, le discours des participants à l’enquête qualitative a indiqué que l’émergence de cette relation négative entre le nombre d’enfants et leur scolarisation dans les quartiers périphériques de Ouagadougou est intimement liée aux changements dans les coûts et bénéfices de l’éducation des enfants qui font reposer dorénavant de façon presque exclusive les dépenses scolaires sur les parents biologiques. / Lower fertility allows couples to invest more in each of their children’s schooling, a phenomenon that has been observed in Western rich countries, Asia and Latin America. This postulate is a key rationale of family planning policies in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet most studies on Africa have found no correlation or even a positive relationship between the number of children in a family and their educational attainment. These mixed results are usually explained by African family solidarity and resource transfers that might reduce pressures on household resources occasioned by many births, and methodological problems that have afflicted much research on the region. The main objective of this thesis was to contribute to a better understanding of the methodological and substantive aspects relating the links between fertility and schooling. Specifically, the thesis has assessed 1) the role of family networks in the schooling of children, 2) simultaneous decisions on the number of children and their education, 3) the causal impact of the number of children on their schooling and 4) parents' perceptions on the school and the costs and benefits of child schooling and how these perceptions are taken into account in their reproductive strategies. Four articles were written from four complementary sources of data: the Ouagadougou population Observatory (OPO), the Demtrend survey, the Baseline Health Survey and a qualitative survey; all of these surveys are based on the OPO study population. In the first article, the results show that large families receive more support of family networks for schooling than small families. In addition, family networks would be able to offset the negative effect of a high number of children on schooling, but only for a part of the population that excludes the poorest. Thus, the family solidarity for the schooling is far from universal. The results of the second article show that children whose mothers intentionally limited their fertility have better schooling than those with subfecund mothers who could not attain their desired family size. Therefore, fertility is not independent to schooling aspirations; the assumption of natural fertility is not tenable in this context. The third article show, in contrast to most prior studies on sub-Saharan Africa, a net negative effect of sibship size on the level of schooling achieved by children, one that grows stronger as they progress through the educational system. In the fourth article, the discourse of respondents collected by a qualitative survey indicate that the emergence of this negative relationship between the number of children and their schooling in the outskirts of Ouagadougou is closely linked to perceived changes in the costs and benefits of children's schooling. In present day Ouagadougou, school expenses appear to fall almost exclusively to biological parents.

Depuis plusieurs décennies, des études empiriques réalisées sur plusieurs pays développés ou en émergence ont montré que la baisse de la taille de la famille favorise l’investissement dans l’éducation des enfants, expliquant qu’un nombre élevé d’enfants a un effet d’amenuisement des ressources familiales. Les retombées positives de la baisse de la fécondité sur l’éducation sont largement étudiées et connues. En dépit des résultats controversés des premières études portant sur les pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, les récentes études empiriques tendent à confirmer l’effet positif de la baisse de la taille de la famille dans le contexte africain, du moins en milieu urbain. Par contre, jusqu’à présent, très peu d’études semblent intéressées à analyser la répartition de ces retombées entre les enfants, et encore moins à comprendre comment ces dernières affecteraient la structure des inégalités éducatives existantes. Notre étude s’intéresse à explorer la potentielle dimension démographique des inégalités socioéconomiques, notamment les inégalités éducatives dans le contexte de la baisse de la fécondité. Elle vise à apporter des évidences empiriques sur le lien entre la réduction de la taille de la famille et les inégalités éducatives au sein des ménages dans le contexte d’Ouagadougou, Capitale du Burkina Faso, qui connait depuis quelques décennies la chute de la fécondité. Elle analyse aussi l’effet de cette réduction sur la transmission intergénérationnelle des désavantages éducatifs. Pour ce faire, nous proposons un cadre conceptuel pour comprendre les mécanismes par lesquels la relation entre la réduction de la taille de la famille et les inégalités éducatives se tisse. Ce cadre conceptuel s’appuie sur une recension des écrits de divers auteurs à ce sujet. Par la suite, nous procédons à des analyses empiriques permettant de tester ces liens en utilisant les données du projet Demtrend collectées. Les résultats empiriques sont présentés sous forme d’articles scientifiques. Les conclusions du premier article indiquent que la relation entre le nombre d’enfants de la famille et l’éducation varie selon le contexte socioéconomique. En effet, pour les générations qui ont grandi dans un contexte socioéconomique colonial et postcolonial, où le mode de production était essentiellement agricole et l’éducation formelle n’était pas encore valorisée sur le marché du travail, la relation est très faible et positive. Par contre, pour les récentes générations, nous avons observé que la relation devient négative et fortement significative. De plus, les résultats de cet article suggèrent aussi que la famille d’origine des femmes a une incidence significative sur leur comportement de fécondité. Les femmes dont la mère avait un niveau de scolarité élevé (et étaient de statut socioéconomique aisé) ont moins d’enfants comparativement à celles dont leurs parents avaient un faible niveau de scolarité (et pauvres). En retour, leurs enfants sont aussi les plus éduqués. Ce qui sous-tend à un éventuel effet de levier de la réduction de la taille de la famille dans le processus de transmission intergénérationnelle des désavantages éducatifs. Le second article fait une comparaison entre les ménages de grande taille et ceux de petite taille en matière d’inégalités éducatives entre les enfants au sein des ménages familiaux, en considérant le sexe, l’ordre de naissance et les termes d’interaction entre ces deux variables. Les résultats de cet article montrent que généralement les enfants des familles de petite taille sont plus scolarisés et atteignent un niveau d’éducation plus élevé que ceux des grandes familles. Toutefois, les filles ainées des petites familles s’avèrent moins éduquées que leurs pairs. Ce déficit persiste après avoir considéré seulement les ménages familiaux monogames ou encore après le contrôle de la composition de la fratrie. L’émancipation des femmes sur le marché du travail résultant de la réduction de la taille de la famille et la faible contribution des pères dans les activités domestiques expliqueraient en partie cette situation. Malheureusement, nous n’avons pas pu contrôler l’activité économique des mères dans les analyses. Finalement, dans le cadre du troisième et dernier article, nous avons examiné l’effet d’avoir été confié par le passé sur les inégalités éducatives au sein de la fratrie, en comparant ceux qui ont été confiés aux autres membres de leur fratrie qui n’ont jamais été confiés. Dans cet article, nous avons considéré l’aspect hétérogène du confiage en le différenciant selon le sexe, la relation de la mère avec le chef du ménage d’accueil et l’âge auquel l’enfant a été confié. Les résultats montrent qu’avoir été confié dans le passé influence négativement le parcours scolaire des enfants. Cependant, cet effet négatif reste fort et significatif que pour les filles qui ont été confiées après leurs 10 ans d’âge. Un profil qui correspond à la demande de main-d’œuvre en milieu urbain pour l’accomplissement des tâches domestiques, surtout dans le contexte de la baisse de la taille de la famille et l’émancipation des femmes sur le marché du travail. / The relationship between the family size decline and children human’s capital investment has been well-studied for several decades. In most developed and emergent countries, several studies showed that the reduction in family size seems to increase the investment in the children’s education, arguing the dilution effect of each additional child on family resources. More recently, empirical studies shows this reduction tends also to improve substantially schooling levels in Sub-Saharan Countries, mostly in urban areas. Nevertheless, little is known about the distribution of these potential benefits neither how that may affect existing educational inequalities, particularly in the context of urban sub-Saharan Africa. Our study focuses on exploring the demographic dimension of educational inequalities in the context of Ouagadougou, Capital of Burkina Faso, where the fertility transition is actually ongoing. More precisely, this study seeks to understand the effect of reduction in family size on intra-family inequalities in education and secondly, on the reproduction of educational inequalities over time and generations. For that purpose, we developed on one hand a conceptual framework to understand the mechanism by which reduction in family could influence on education inequalities. Secondly, we have undertaken empirical analysis to test our hypotheses. The empirical results are presented in three scientific papers, which based on data from the Demographic Surveillance System and Health and Dentrend project. Findings from the first paper suggest that the relationship between the family size and education has shifted over time, according to the socioeconomic context. Indeed, the generations that are grown in a socioeconomic context where formal education was not valued in the labor market and the economic contributions of children were substantial as farm laborer, the relationship was very low, positive, and not statistically significant. By contrast, for recent generations, we observed that the relationship is negative and highly significant. In addition, the results of this paper also suggest that the family of origin impacts on the women’s reproductive behavior. Those whose original family was not poor and well-educated have smaller families. In turn, their children are also more educated. That suggests a potential leverage effect of the reduction in family size on the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic disadvantages, particularly in terms of education. The second paper takes a look at intra-family inequalities in education in Ouagadougou. Do all the children in a family benefit equitably from the improved conditions brought about by limiting their number? The results suggest that generally smaller families allow more investment in children’s education. Nonetheless, oldest girls are less educated than their peers. The deficit remains even after considering only monogamous family households or after controlling the composition of the sibling. The absence of the mothers at home eased by the reduction in family size and the men’s failure to share household chores could explain this situation. Unfortunately, we were unable to control for economic activity of mothers. Finally, in the last paper, we evaluated the net impact of having been fostered in the past on the education of young adolescents (16-20 years old), comparing those who have been fostered to their sibling who has never been fostered. In this article, contrary to previous studies, we have considered the heterogeneous aspect of fostering by differentiating by sex, the mother's relationship with the host household and the age at the time of fostering. The results show a negative impact of child fostering on education, even after controlling for the endogeneity problem. However, this negative effect is greater on girls. The life’s conditions of fostered girls in host household could explain this differential effect. Finally, in the third and final article, we examined the effect of having been entrusted the education of children, comparing those who have been entrusted to other members of their siblings who have never been entrusted. In this article, contrary to previous studies, we have considered the heterogeneous aspect of fostering by differentiating by sex, the mother's relationship with the host and the ages at which the child has been entrusted. The results show that having been given in the past adversely affects the schooling of children. However, after considering some interacting variables, this negative effect remains strong and significant only for adolescent girls. These girls seem to fit the profile of additional hands for household chores, which are needed due the demographic deficits consequent to the reduction in family size in urban areas.

No description available.

The objective of the thesis is to compare planned and realized fertility of a small sample of Czech women with finished fertility. A questionnaire was used to determine both planned and actual number of children, their gender, birth order and spacing and the age of woman at her first birth and her marital status. The realization of these events was compared and the reasons for failure were identified. A sample of 47 respondents anonymously completed the two-page questionnaire comprising of four parts -- plan, reality, personal characteristics and additional questions. Additional questions were related to contraception, abortions, religion, etc. The survey showed average number of 2.34 child per woman, whereas planned average number was 2.28. Further, on average 53 % of women fulfilled their plans regarding number of children, gender and order, spacing, age at the first birth and age at the first marriage. Finally, the correlation between observed number of children and planned number of children was analysed based on gathered data. The resulting model showed that the planned number of children one corresponds with realized number of children 1.47.

Objetivo: Evaluar si existe asociación entre las características habitacionales con la ocurrencia de violencia física (VF) sin lesiones y con lesiones contra la mujer ejercida por su pareja o expareja a nivel nacional. Métodos: Estudio transversal analítico basado en el análisis secundario de la Encuesta Nacional sobre Relaciones Sociales (ENARES) 2015. Se incluyó mujeres mayores de 18 años con pareja actual o previa. Variable dependiente: tres categorías: no VF, haber sufrido VF sin lesiones, y VF con lesiones por parte de su pareja en algún momento de su vida. Variable de exposición: número de personas por vivienda. Se consideró el muestreo por conglomerados y pesos muestrales. Se evaluó asociación mediante regresión logística multinomial y se calcularon odd ratios multinomiales (ORM) crudos y ajustados con intervalos de confianza al 95% (IC95%). Resultados: ENARES 2015 entrevistó 1599 mujeres mayores de 18 años, de estas 214 no habían tenido pareja, por lo que se incluyeron 1385. Media de edad: 45.96 años. 10.9% de mujeres habían sufrido VF sin lesiones, y 23.5% con lesiones. Forma ajustada: asociación de VF sin lesiones con empleo, violencia durante infancia y personas por vivienda. VF con lesiones: asociación con cada año de edad, ser viuda/separada, por cada hijo adicional, empleo, y violencia durante infancia. Conclusiones: Hubo una alta prevalencia de VF con y sin lesiones. Un mayor número de personas por vivienda se asoció a menos VF sin lesiones, pero no tuvo asociación con VF con lesiones. No se encontró asociación con otras características habitacionales estudiadas. / Objectives: Evaluate if exists an association between housing characteristics and physical violence (PV) with and without injuries against woman executed by her partner or ex-partner nationwide. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study based on the secondary analysis of the National Survey on Social Relations (ENARES) 2015. It included 18 years old or older women with a current or previous partner. The outcome had three categories: not PV, having suffered PV without and with injuries by her partner at some point in her life. The exposure variable was number of people per dwelling. The analysis considered the sampling by clusters and sample weights. Association was assessed using multinomial logistic regression, and raw and adjusted multinomial odd ratios (ORM) were calculated with 95% confidential intervals (95% CI). Results: ENARES 2015 interviewed 1599 women 18 years old and older, 214 of total women didn’t have a partner, 1385 were included. Median age: 45.96 years. 10.9% of women had suffered PV without injuries and 23.5% with injuries. There was an association of PV without injuries with employment, violence during childhood, and people per household. For PV with injuries, there was an association with age, being a widow / separated, for each additional child, employment, and violence during childhood. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of PV with and without injury. More people per household were associated with fewer PV without injuries, but had no association with PV with injuries. No association was found with other housing characteristics studied. / Tesis