This dissertation concerns itself with the task of creating a pastoral model in order to offer care for the young ladies who experience the trauma of rejection and shame when they have fallen pregnant out of wedlock within the church, resulting from the painful suspension. It was motivated from the author’s personal experience of being suspended while pregnant out of wedlock and her understanding that suspension is not meant to shame or hurt anyone. Through Group Therapy, the author used her understanding of Christian hope, and by creating a positive conversation among these young ladies. The focus and hope of this dissertation is to research the problem of suspension, in order to help the clergy and lay leaders in their role as pastoral caregivers. However, this dissertation would have been of no use, if it did not attempt to create a model for caring which will empower lay leaders and the clergy to become pastoral caregivers towards young ladies who fall pregnant out of wedlock. <ul> <li> Firstly, the author will try to clarify the problem faced by the young ladies.</li> <li> Secondly, the author will seek to bring an awareness of this problem to the church through its prophetic voice.</li> <li> Thirdly, the author hopes to create a model of pastoral care that will not only care spiritually for young ladies, but will also meet their emotional needs.</li> </ul> / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

No abstract available / Dissertation (MA (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / MA / unrestricted

No abstract available / Dissertation (MA (Theology) : Practical Theology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Over the past forty years a tremendous number of women have entered the labor market, removing stay-home motherhood as the most dominant female occupation. The linkage between the change in the labor market and change in family structure has drawn a lot of attention from social scientists, and it is on this linkage that this analysis is focused. An essential dimension of this changing behavior is the sharp rise in out-ofwedlock childbearing. The central issue of non-married motherhood is more related to the diminishing willingness to marry than a changing attitude toward fertility. In a setting where individuals choose marriage because of the gains from joint production of child quality as well as the division of labor, the declining gains from specialization for men influence potential spouse selection. Men and women with fewer labor market prospects become less desirable, and consequently a marriage market with more positive assortative mating will be observed. The increase in female labor market participation is larger for highly-educated women but the decrease in marriage rates is more characteristic of less-educated women over this period. What drives these changes can be explained by using a simple economic theory, the fundamental concept of which is that couples with lower labor market prospects also face lower gains from marriage because of the increases in femalemale relative wages in the less-educated and black groups. A narrowing of the gap between male and female wages would reduce the gains from division of labor and lower the incentive to marry. In addition, when the marriage market becomes more positively assorted, low educated men and women are less likely to marry each other. Our empirical results indicate an increase in the homogeneity of wages between spouses over this period regardless of whether we control for education. In particular, black couples are more positively assorted than white couples although the trend converges by the end of the century. We also show that the marriage market is tilted towards better-educated men and women over the period. These findings are consistent with the theory which explains why single motherhood is more concentrated among lesseducated women.

This thesis is based on four articles. In the first article, questionnaire data from a follow-upstudy (Article I) that aimed to explore social support, coping and resilience as predictors ofmental health in unwed young pregnant women and young mothers during placement in ashelter home were analysed. Nine shelter homes were invited to participate in the study (n ofpre-assessment = 250; n of post-assessment = 79). Percentages, paired sample t-tests, multipleanalyses of variance (MANOVA), and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse thedata. There were no significant changes in social support, coping or resilience between thepre- and post-assessment. The variability in the mental health scores from the follow-upassessment could be explained by the variability in coping, social support and resilience forbetween 14% of the variance in the BDI score and 36% in the GHQ sum-score. However,about 32% of the unwed young pregnant women and young mothers had a BDI score above26 suggesting the occurrence of a depressive disorder at the second assessment. Thequalitative part of the study (Articles II and III) attempted to investigate the reactions receivedfrom their significant others, and how these reactions influenced their pregnancy experience.Furthermore, their daily life experience during their placement in a shelter home is described.Seventeen unwed young pregnant women and young mothers aged from 12 to 18 wereinterviewed. Qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyse thetranscriptions of the interviews. Significant others were often perceived as reacting to theunwed young pregnant women and young mothers with secrecy, repression and rejection. Theresponse of the unwed young pregnant women and young mothers to the significant others inrespect of their pregnancy was to feel detached, trapped, unworthy and ambiguous. Theresults of the thematic analysis (Article III) led to three themes: rules and regulations, therelationship with the staff, and the relationship with the other girls in the shelter home. Theresults indicated that the participating shelter homes were often not fulfilling the standards ofshelter homes according to the Malaysian national laws and the United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child. In addition, a mixed methods approach (Article IV) was applied toinvestigate the associations between the experiences of the unwed young pregnant women andyoung mothers in the shelter home and their social support, coping, resilience, and mentalhealth. Because of the nominal data, the findings from the qualitative analyses were quantifiedand jointly analysed with the questionnaire data using Spearman Rank coefficient. The analyses were done based on the interviews and survey with 17 unwed young pregnantwomen and young mothers aged 12 to 18 years. The mixed methods study emphasized thatthe unwed young pregnant women and young mothers have poor availability and adequacy ofsocial support and were at risk of developing mental health problems if untreated.

This thesis has examined unmarried fathers in two parishes of Umeå in northern Sweden during the period 1897-1937. The main focus is on the consequences that ensued the legislation that formalized men’s obligations towards children born out of wedlock, which was passed on June 14th, 1917. The period chosen for this thesis analysis is twenty years before and after 1917. This enables a comparison between the society of the late 19th century and a society smitten by a modernised social reform in the early 20th century. To investigate the subject matter, records of birth and baptismal have been studied with a primary focus on patterns concerning fathers of illegitimate children. Both parishes presented a considerably small number of unmarried fathers compared to married men, throughout the entire period. The town of Umeå had the largest overall share in comparison with the countryside. It was pre-supposed, based on previous research, that the social class to which most unmarried fathers belonged, were in the lower ranks of society. This turned out to be an accurate assumption based on statistics from both parishes presented in this thesis. The statistics did not present any men from the upper class as fathers of children born out of wed-lock. Monetary as well as societal pressure were identified as possible explanations why some men avoided fathering illegitimate children. All in all, the legislation was interpreted as some-what successful in Umeå; achieving an apparent reduction in total shares of unknown fathers, a rising number of pledged paternities and presenting a few examples of men sentenced to fa-therhood in court. The legislation also provided unmarried women with a voice in legal matters concerning their illegitimate children.

No description available.

This dissertation looks at the position of the unmarried father in South Africa with regard to obtaining access to his illegitimate child. The writer has focused on three distinct eras in South African family law: the position of unmarried fathers in terms of: the common law; Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act; and the Children's Act. The writer has further focused on a case study. This is to emphasis the difficulty which unmarried fathers have when attempting to go through the courts to have access to his child. In terms of South African common law, fathers of illegitimate children did not have any form of parental authority over the child. The mothers of illegitimate children have full parental authority over such children. Access in terms of South African common-law is seen as an incident of parental authority. Unmarried fathers nevertheless had the right to approach the high court to obtain access to their children, if the mother of the child refuses to allow the father to have such access. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was an overwhelming amount of applications brought by unmarried fathers in the high courts so as to obtain access to their illegitimate children. The case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) sparked victory for unmarried fathers when the learned judge held that all unmarried fathers of children have an inherent right of access to their children. This victory was short-lived. Subsequent case law and in particular the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) enforced the common law and held that unmarried fathers do not have an automatic right to their illegitimate children and that such fathers will have to apply to the high court for such access. Due to the increase in litigation in the late 1980's and early 1990's regarding a father's access to his child born out of wedlock the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act commenced on 4 September 1998. The South African legislature adopted the approach taken in the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) and rejected the approach taken in the case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) ie the common law continued to remain the approach taken in South Africa. Legislators recognised that the approach taken in the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act does not conform to the provisions of the African Charter of the Rights and the Welfare of the Child, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and equality and dignity provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On 19 June 2006, the Children's Act was effected and will commence once promulgated in the Government Gazette. The writer then determines whether the Children's Act has in practice changed the position of the unmarried father. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLM

This dissertation looks at the position of the unmarried father in South Africa with regard to obtaining access to his illegitimate child. The writer has focused on three distinct eras in South African family law: the position of unmarried fathers in terms of: the common law; Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act; and the Children's Act. The writer has further focused on a case study. This is to emphasis the difficulty which unmarried fathers have when attempting to go through the courts to have access to his child. In terms of South African common law, fathers of illegitimate children did not have any form of parental authority over the child. The mothers of illegitimate children have full parental authority over such children. Access in terms of South African common-law is seen as an incident of parental authority. Unmarried fathers nevertheless had the right to approach the high court to obtain access to their children, if the mother of the child refuses to allow the father to have such access. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was an overwhelming amount of applications brought by unmarried fathers in the high courts so as to obtain access to their illegitimate children. The case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) sparked victory for unmarried fathers when the learned judge held that all unmarried fathers of children have an inherent right of access to their children. This victory was short-lived. Subsequent case law and in particular the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) enforced the common law and held that unmarried fathers do not have an automatic right to their illegitimate children and that such fathers will have to apply to the high court for such access. Due to the increase in litigation in the late 1980's and early 1990's regarding a father's access to his child born out of wedlock the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act commenced on 4 September 1998. The South African legislature adopted the approach taken in the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) and rejected the approach taken in the case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) ie the common law continued to remain the approach taken in South Africa. Legislators recognised that the approach taken in the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act does not conform to the provisions of the African Charter of the Rights and the Welfare of the Child, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and equality and dignity provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On 19 June 2006, the Children's Act was effected and will commence once promulgated in the Government Gazette. The writer then determines whether the Children's Act has in practice changed the position of the unmarried father. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLM

The study examines the occurrence of children born out of wedlock in four parishes belonging to the current Karlskrona municipality during the period 1875–1925. The parishes surveyed are Fridlevstad, Rödeby, Tving and Karlskrona city-parish. The period is divided into two parts where the first includes the years 1875–1890 and the second part includes the years 1910–1925. The proportion of children with unknown/known fathers, the mothers' occupations, the fathers' occupations, and the mothers' age are also used as survey variables. The proportion of known fathers increases significantly between the study periods, which could be explained by a reduced internal social control, while the study shows that the introduction of a child welfare officer in 1918 resulted in an increased proportion of known fathers. The mothers' occupational designations change between the periods, for example, the proportion of maids decreases while other occupations are added. In the city-parish, professions such as washerwoman and waitress are added during the second period. The proportion of women working in the industry also increases between the survey periods. The increased proportion of professions, especially in the city-parish, could be linked to the demographic transition. As more people settle in a city, new needs emerge and thus also new occupational categories. The age of the mothers decreases between the study periods. When it comes to class affiliation, it can be noted that most of the fathers and mothers belonged to the working class. However, the proportion of fathers belonging to the middle class was higher than the proportion of mothers belonging to the middle class.