Childcare arrangements of migrants: A case study of mothers in Imbali, Pietermaritzburg. By Thobelani Nompilo Majola Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Population Studies, in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal November 2018 i COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES DECLARATION- PLAGIARISM I, Thobelani Nompilo Majola declare that: 1. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced b. Where their exact words have been used, then their writing has been placed in italics and inside quotation marks, and referenced. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the internet, unless specifically acknowledged. Sources being detailed in the thesis are properly acknowledged in the references sections. Signed ............................................................ Date ............................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who have assisted me throughout my studies: Firstly, I thank God, for guiding and protecting throughout my journey, without him I would not have made it this far. To my loving mother N.S Mngadi, words alone cannot express my gratitude. For all the sacrifices that you have throughout my life, I would not have made it this far if it was not for you. Thank you mom for giving your all. To my supportive cousins, boyfriend V.P Ngonyama, friends and the entire family, thank you for the encouragements and believing in me. To my supervisor Professor Pranitha Maharaj, thank you for all the guidance, critical comments and for always being honest when my work was not up to standard. To all the members in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies who have contributed towards my journey, I thank you all. iii ABSTRACT Studies on migration focus on the various patterns of movements for individuals. These patterns were shaped by the colonial and apartheid-era policies, which channeled black male labour migration while women and children remained in rural areas. In recent years, more and more women have been entering the labour market. This has increased migration rates for women and as a result, permanent urban migration has been growing. This shift had implications for children who may migrate with their parents or may be left behind in rural areas. There is a great deal of literature on adult migration and temporary labour patterns in South Africa, but very little on how this has affected children. The aim of this study was to shed insight on the childcare arrangements made by women who internally migrate with their children to urban areas in search of economic opportunities. For this study, data was obtained from face to face in-depth interviews that were held with twenty migrant mothers from Imbali, Unit 13 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of this study have indicated that migrant mothers had limited awareness of childcare facilities when they first migrated to Imbali. The majority of migrant mothers have highlighted that they have placed their children in formal facilities within the community and some of these facilities where not conducive for children as they believed it was not in their best interest due to a number of factors. Finances and distance were the main factors influencing selection of childcare arrangements. The study recommends that all stakeholders invest in facilities within the community as most parents suggested that facilities were not affordable. The involvement of both private and public stakeholders can assist in ensuring that when parents migrate, they properly make care plans for their children. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION - PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 3 1.4 Aims and Objectives ............................................................................................................. 3 1.5 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Study type and method .......................................................................................................... 8 1.7 Outline of the study ............................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2- LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................. 10 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Migration ............................................................................................................................. 11 2.2.1 Rural to urban migration............................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Causes and Consequences of Migration ....................................................................... 12 2.3 Migration and Children ....................................................................................................... 16 2.4 Childcare Arrangements ...................................................................................................... 19 2.4.1 Importance of childcare arrangements ......................................................................... 20 2.4.2 Formal and Informal Arrangements ............................................................................. 23 2.4.3 Provisions made for children ........................................................................................ 25 2.4.4 Determining factors on the selection of childcare arrangements……………………..28 2.5 Summary:……………………………………………………………………………….…30 v CHAPTER 3- METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 31 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Study Area ........................................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Study design ........................................................................................................................ 33 3.4 Sampling Strategy ............................................................................................................... 34 3.5 Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 34 3.6 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 35 3.7 Data Management ............................................................................................................... 36 3.8 Reliability and Validity ....................................................................................................... 36 3.9 Ethical Considerations......................................................................................................... 37 3.10 Limitations of the study..................................................................................................... 38 3.11 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4- RESULTS ........................................................................................................... 40 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 40 4.2 Demographic profile of participants: .................................................................................. 40 4.3 Access to services: .............................................................................................................. 43 4.4 Formal childcare arrangements ........................................................................................... 45 4.5 Informal childcare arrangements ........................................................................................