Mkhatshwa Nozipho
a National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) Swaziland - Response Leadership and Partnerships , Mbabane , Swaziland.
Afr J AIDS Res. 2017 Dec;16(4):365-372. doi: 10.2989/16085906.2017.1389756.
This study investigated the gender dynamics of living in child-headed households (CHHs) in a rural area in Swaziland that experiences high levels of drought, poverty and HIV and AIDS. Using a qualitative research methodology, the study examined ways in which children in CHHs meet their daily family needs and address their vulnerabilities according to their gender, focusing on the experiences of the children. The study sample consisted of 10 households, with 5 boy and 5 girl-headed households from the chiefdoms within the area. A semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct interviews in the respondents' own homes. The study focused on the gendered coping strategies used by the children to sustain their household welfare. Three factors were examined: leadership, food provision and education. The findings show that birth order conferred headship or leadership to the eldest sibling irrespective of their gender. Variations in the performance of the three factors, which were influenced by the gender of the household head, were observed. Generally, the children acted in accordance with their socio-cultural norms demanded in fulfilling the role of leadership and food provision. Boy-headed households become disadvantaged because of the boys' reluctance to take tasks which would contravene traditional Swazi notions of masculinity. This was exacerbated by societal expectations of the independence of boys. Hegemonic masculinity puts boys at a disadvantage when societal expectations require them to enact their masculinity through independence, rather than by drawing on the support of their neighbours/family/social networks. However, girls conformed to traditional Swazi norms. Societal compassion with the vulnerability of girls produced sustainable social arrangements and fostered resilience in girl-headed households.
本研究调查了斯威士兰一个农村地区由儿童当家的家庭（CHHs）中的性别动态，该地区面临着严重的干旱、贫困以及艾滋病毒和艾滋病问题。本研究采用定性研究方法，考察了CHHs中的儿童根据自身性别满足家庭日常需求以及应对自身脆弱性的方式，重点关注儿童的经历。研究样本包括10个家庭，其中5个由男孩当家，5个由女孩当家，均来自该地区的酋长领地。采用半结构化访谈指南在受访者家中进行访谈。本研究聚焦于儿童为维持家庭福祉所采用的性别应对策略。研究考察了三个因素：领导权、食物供应和教育。研究结果表明，无论性别如何，出生顺序赋予了家中最大的孩子当家或领导的地位。观察到这三个因素的表现存在差异，这些差异受到户主性别的影响。总体而言，儿童在履行领导和食物供应角色时，其行为符合社会文化规范的要求。由男孩当家的家庭处于不利地位，因为男孩不愿承担那些有悖于斯威士兰传统男性观念的任务。社会对男孩独立的期望加剧了这种情况。当社会期望男孩通过独立而非依靠邻居/家庭/社会网络的支持来展现男子气概时，霸权男性气质使男孩处于不利地位。然而，女孩则符合斯威士兰的传统规范。社会对女孩脆弱性的同情产生了可持续的社会安排，并增强了由女孩当家的家庭的恢复力。
