Sex, Gender, Becoming - PULP

96 Kammila Naidoo
improving, ‘that is, in contrast to the conventional wisdom of
demographic transition theory which connects a fertility transition to
increased prosperity and advancing structural transformation’. 14 He
suggests that whilst there are many cases of short-term declines in
fertility in response to hardship, there are few indications of
sustained crisis-led fertility transitions. Nonetheless, he surmises that
stagnant and poor economic conditions in Africa might place
enormous pressure on families and individual women to reduce the
number of children they bear. His argument contrasts with more
dominant inferences which link changes in reproduction to
improvements in the economic lives and social positions of women,
and to their greater independence and empowerment.
Candice Bradley’s 15 more recent discussion of women’s empowerment,
domestic violence and fertility decline has some parallels with
Lesthaeghe’s arguments. In examining fertility decline in Kenya she
suggests that, paradoxically, the transition might be a result of
women making gains on the one hand, but losses on the other. She
suggests that alongside data which show increases in the number of
women taking on formal work and acquiring higher levels of education
are statistics which show that violence against women has increased
tremendously over the years. She maintains: ‘More equitable
education and broader career choices do not occur in a vacuum. In an
atmosphere of growing scarcity, both men and women feel the pinch.
It may be scarcity rather than empowerment which is fuelling a turn
toward lower fertility’. 16 Such an argument might have relevance for
South Africa where sectors of the population have been experiencing
deepening poverty over the past few decades and where levels of
gender-based violence have increased.
3. Some indicators of women’s social and economic position in
South Africa
Understanding the situation of women in any society requires paying
close attention to the institutional and contextual parameters within
which fertility is declining. General statistics can be useful in offering
a snap-shot, macro-level, overview of the ‘social position’ of women.
For the purposes of this paper data that offer some indication of: (1)
fertility levels, (2) contraceptive use, (3) women’s education, (4)
domestic violence and (5) employment of women will be offered.
14
RJ Lesthaeghe ‘Social organization, economic crises, and the future of fertility
control in Africa’ in Lesthaeghe (n 8 above) 476.
15 S Greenhalgh in Greenhalgh (n 5 above) 157-178.
16
C Bradley ‘Women’s empowerment and fertility decline in western Kenya’ in
Greenhalgh (n 5 above) 157 176-177.