ABSTRACT
Addressing discriminatory gender norms is a prerequisite for preventing HIV in women, including young women. However, the gendered expectation that women will perform unpaid childcare-related labour is rarely conceptualised as influencing their HIV risk. Our aim was to learn from members of a rural Swazi community about how gendered childcare norms. We performed sequential, interpretive analysis of focus group discussion and demographic survey data, generated through participatory action research. The results showed that gendered childcare norms were firmly entrenched and intertwined with discriminatory norms regarding sexual behaviour. Participants perceived that caring for children constrained young women's educational opportunities and providing for children's material needs increased their economic requirements. Some young women were perceived to engage in "transactional sex" and depend financially on men, including "sugar daddies", to provide basic necessities like food for the children they cared for. Our results suggested that men were no longer fulfilling their traditional role of caring for children's material needs, despite women's traditional role of caring for their physical and emotional needs remaining firmly entrenched. The results indicate that innovative approaches to prevent HIV in young women should incorporate structural approaches that aim to transform gendered norms, economically empower women and implement policies guaranteeing women equal rights
Subject(s)
Child Custody , Eswatini , Gender Identity , HIV Infections/prevention & control , Social Determinants of Health , Women's HealthABSTRACT
A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out to compare childcare practices and nutritional status of children aged 6-36 months in Mwembesongo and Mjimpya wards that had long and short experiences respectively with the Child Survival; Protection and Development (CSPD) programme. The purpose of the study was to establish whether the long-term implementation of the CSPD programme had an impact compared to that of a short-term programme. The findings showed that the children from Mwembesongo were exclusively breast-fed for a significantly longer period (50 days) than those in the Mjimpya ward (32 days) and that significantly more mothers (95.7) in Mwembesongo than in Mjimpya (84.5) attended growth monitoring programmes. On the other hand; significantly more mothers in Mjimpya (71.5) compared to those in Mwembesongo (51.8) breast-fed immediately (less than one hour) after birth. The study revealed that there was no significant difference in children's nutritional status (wasting and underweight) between the two wards; except for stunting. More children in Mwembesongo (39.7) than in Mjimpya (27.5) were stunted. The findings have demonstrated that financial capacity to support children's food and care requirements forms a springboard from which to launch additional efforts for improved nutritional status