Caring and contributing

The role of older women in multigenerational households in the HIV/AIDS era

By: Schatz EJ & Ogunmefun C
Produced by: Population Aging Center, Institute of Behavioral Science, Colorado , 2005

This paper explores the coping strategies of households in rural South Africa, where HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality are having profound effects on household resources. The paper focuses specifically on the potentially crucial role older women's pensions play in multi-generational households both during crises (e.g. HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality) and day-to-day subsistence. Results are based on interviews with women between the ages of 60-75. Half of the respondents are South African born, and thus eligible for the South African non-contributory pension; the other half are self-settled Mozambican refugees, who officially were ineligible for the pension until recently.