Open AccessWomen’s Burden of Caring for Orphans: The bio-psychosocial and economic challenges for caregivers in a rural community in South Africa
Author(s) -
Misheck Dube
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
technium social sciences journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2668-7798
DOI - 10.47577/tssj.v26i1.5304
Subject(s) - psychosocial , nonprobability sampling , work (physics) , face (sociological concept) , qualitative research , economic growth , medicine , nursing , socioeconomics , psychology , sociology , psychiatry , environmental health , population , social science , mechanical engineering , engineering , economics
The practical activity of orphan-care in Social Work has received unquestionable and resounding globally attention. However, the skewed care of orphans towards women and its associated bio-psychosocial and economic challenges in the rural communities deserves special investigation and analysis. This article discusses women’s burden of orphan-care and associated bio-psychosocial and economic challenges experienced by carers in Alice in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach and voluntary purposive sampling to ensure that carers of orphans were engaged in the study, individual face-to-face interviews were conducted to engage twenty caregivers. Data were analysed thematically and backed by existing literature. The findings showed that women caregivers of orphans experienced a plethora of bio-psychosocial and economic issues when caring for orphans in the rural communities. The article makes relevant recommendations for the profession of Social Work and stakeholders of orphan-care.