Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Parenting in a Rainbow Nation: A South African Perspective on Parenting

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Parenting Across Cultures

Part of the book series: Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science ((SACH,volume 7))

Abstract

Parenting has been linked to varying outcomes of child wellbeing and behavior. Prolific research exists in Western countries regarding different parenting styles and practices linked to various outcomes. These are then used as a basis to understand parenting in non-Western countries such as South Africa. With a diversified population of over 50 million, South Africa has a rich socio-political history which has constantly threatened the very existence of the family and parental responsibility and practices. Today, there are new challenges for parents which need to be negotiated in order to have well adjusted children. The limited parenting research in South Africa not only suggests a more positive approach to parenting in general, but that there are similarities and differences to Western research studies as well as differences across cultures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allen, J., Hauser, S., O Conner, T., & Bell, K. (2002). Prediction of peer-rated adult hostility from autonomy struggles in adolescent-family interactions. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 123–137.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amoateng, A. Y., Barber, B. K., & Erickson, L. D. (2006). Family predictors of adolescent substance use: The case of high school students in the Cape Metropolitan Area, Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 18(1), 7–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aquilino, W. S. (2006). Family relationships and support systems in emerging adulthood. In J. J. Arnett & J. L. Tanner (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 193–218). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Aquilino, W. S., & Supple, A. J. (2001). Long-term effects of parenting practices during adolescence on well-being outcomes in young adulthood. Journal of Family Issues, 22(3), 289–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2007). Suffering, selfish, slackers? Myth and reality on emerging adults. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 36, 23–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: Revisiting a neglected construct. Child Development, 67, 3296–3319.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K. (2002). Reintroducing parental psychological control. In B. K. Barber (Ed.), Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents (pp. 3–13). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K., Stolz, H. E., & Olsen, J. A. (2005). Parent support, psychological control, and behavioural control: Assessing relevance across time, method, and culture. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 70, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1966). Effects of authoritative parental control on child behaviour. Journal of Child Development, 37, 887–907.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices interceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75(1), 43–88.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1968). Authoritarian vs authoritative control. Adolescence, 37, 255–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1978). Parental disciplinary patterns and social competence in children. Journal of Youth & Society, 9, 239–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1987). A developmental perspective on adolescent risk taking in contemporary America. New Directions for Child Development, 37, 93–125.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting styles on adolescent competence and substances. Journal of Early Adolescence, 11(1), 58–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1997). Necessary distinctions. Psychological Inquiry, 8, 176–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bean, R. A., Bush, K. R., McKenry, P. C., & Wilson, S. M. (2003). The impact of parental support, behavioral control, and psychological control on the academic achievement and self-esteem of African American and European American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(5), 523–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, H. (1985). For their triumphs and for their tears. Women in apartheid South Africa. London: International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigner, J. J. (1998). Parent-child relations: An introduction to parenting. New York: Macmillan College Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bomester, O. (2012). Exploring closeness in parent-adolescent relationships (PAR) in a semi-rural, low income community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bray, R., Gooskens, I., Kahn, L., Moses, S., & Seekings, J. (2010). Growing up in the new South Africa: Childhood and adolescence in post-apartheid Cape Town. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bukatko, D., & Daehler, M. (1995). Child development: A thematic approach (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton, P., Leoschut, L., & Bonora, A. (2009). Walking the tightrope: Youth resilience to crime in South Africa. Cape Town: Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Child Care Act, 38 of 2005, (492). (2006). Government of South Africa. No 28944.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chirkov, V., Ryan, R. M., Youngmee, K., & Kaplan, U. (2003). Differentiating autonomy from individualism and independence: A self-determination theory perspective on internalization of cultural orientations and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(1), 97–110.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, R. D., Cui, M., Bryant, C. M., & Elder, G. H. (2000). Competence in early adult romantic relationships: A developmental perspective on family influences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(2), 224–237.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Jager, N. (2011). Adolescents’ relationships in a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deater-Deckard, K., Sewell, M. D., Petrill, S. A., & Thompson, L. A. (2010). Maternal working memory and reactive negativity in parenting. Psychological Science, 21(1), 75–79.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, J. (2002). Parents’ answers book. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginwala, F. (1990, January 13–18). Women in South Africa today. A paper presented at the Malibongwe conference, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, A., Greenwood, G., & Wenhsu, J. (2001). Undergraduate students’ goal orientations and their relationship to perceived parenting styles. College Student Journal, 35, 182–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, M. R., & Steinberg, L. (1999). Unpacking authoritative parenting: Reassessing a multidimensional construct. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 574–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W. (2003). The psychology of parental control: How well-meant parenting backfires. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grolnick, W. S., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1997). Internalization within the family: The self-determination theory perspective. In J. E. Grusec & L. Kuczynski (Eds.), Parenting and children’s internalization of values: A handbook of contemporary theory (pp. 135–161). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, R. M., & Theus, F. C. (2006). Pointers for parenting for mental health service professionals. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartley-Brewer, E. (1996). Positive parenting. London: Cedar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, E., & Sudia, C. (1973). Children in fatherless families. In B. Caldwell & H. Ricciti (Eds.), Review of child development research (Vol. 3, pp. 79–92). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holborn, L., & Eddy, G. (2011). The first steps to healing the South African family. Johannesburg: South African Institute of Race Relations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. O., Power, T. G., Fisher, J. O., Mueller, S., & Nicklas, T. A. (2005). Revisiting a neglected construct: Parenting styles in child-feeding context. Appetite, 44, 83–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huver, R. M. E., Otten, R., de Vries, H., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2010). Personality and parenting style in parents of adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 395–402.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karavasilis, L., Doyle, A. B., & Markiewicz, D. (2003). Associations between parenting styles and attachment to mother in middle childhood and adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kritzas, N., & Grobler, A. A. (2005). The relationship between perceived parenting styles and resilience during adolescence. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurdek, L. A., & Fine, M. A. (1994). Family acceptance and family control as predictors of adjustment in young adolescents: Linear, curvilinear or interactive effects? Child Development, 65, 1137–1146.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamborn, S., Mounts, N., Steinberg, L., & Dornbusch, S. (1991). Patterns of competence and adjustment among adolescents from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent and neglectful families. Child Development, 62, 1049–1066.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Latouf, N. C. (2005). Parenting styles affecting the behavior of five-year olds. Unpublished masters thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindeggar, G., & Maxwell, J. (2007). Teenage masculinity: The double find of conformity to hegemonic standards. In T. Shefer, K. Ratele, A. Strebel, N. Shabalala, & R. Buikema (Eds.), From boys to men (pp. 94–111). Lansdowne: Juta & Company Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, C. (2005). Perceived child-rearing practices as predictors of relationship satisfaction of fourth-year university hostel residents. Unpublished masters thesis, University of Free State, Free State Province.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E. (1992). The role of parents in the socialization of children: An historical overview. Developmental Psychology, 28, 1006–1017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E. (2000). Parenting and its effects on children: On reading and misreading behavior genetics. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 51, 1–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent–child interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (Socialization, personality, and social development 4th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 1–101). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson, K., & Berger, L. M. (2009). Family structure states and transitions: Associations with children’s well-being during middle childhood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), 575–591.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Makwakwa, T. (2011). Emerging adulthood: Examining the relationship between parenting styles and decision-making of university resident students. Unpublished masters thesis, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeely, C. A., & Barber, B. K. (2010). How do parents make adolescents feel loved? Perspectives on supportive parenting from adolescents in 12 cultures. Journal of Adolescent Research, 25, 601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milevsky, A., Schlechter, M., Netter, S., & Keehn, D. (2007). Maternal and paternal parenting styles adolescents: Associations with self-esteem, depression and life satisfaction. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16, 39–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moremi, D. M. (2002). Parenting styles and the adjustment of black South African Grade 1 children in single parent households. Unpublished masters thesis. University of South Africa, Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrell, R., Bhana, D., & Shefer, T. (2012). Books and babies: Pregnancy and young parents in schools. Cape Town: HSRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muris, P., Loxton, H., Neumann, A., du Plessis, M., King, N., & Ollendick, T. (2006). DSM-defined anxiety disorders symptoms in South African youths: Their assessment and relationship with perceived parental rearing behaviors. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44, 883–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naidoo, P. (1998). The experiences of divorced mothers as single parents. Psychology in Society (PINS), 23, 17–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ocholla-Ayayo, A. B. C. (2000). The African family in development crisis in the second millennium. The African Anthropologist, 7(1), 84–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, C., Berger, L. M., & Magnuson, K. (2012). Family structure transitions and changes in maternal resources and well-being. Demography, 49(1), 23–47.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pervin, L., & John, O. (2001). Personality: Theory and research (8th ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problems outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72(2), 583–598.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Posel, D. (1991). The making of apartheid 1948–1961. Conflict and compromise. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, L., & Morell, R. (2006). Baba: Men and fatherhood in South Africa. Cape Town: HSRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman, N. V. (2008). Single and married mother-preadolescent relationships: Understanding and comparing the interaction between self-esteem and family functioning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman, N. V. (2011). Maternal parenting in single and two-parent families in South Africa from a child’s perspective. Social Behavior and Personality, 39(5), 577–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roman, N. V., Human, A., & Hiss, D. (2012). Young South African adults’ perceptions of parental psychological control and antisocial behavior. Social Behavior and Personality, 40(7), 1163–1174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudy, D., & Grusec, J. E. (2006). Authoritarian parenting in individualist and collectivist groups: Associations with maternal emotion and cognition and children’s self-esteem. Journal of Family Psychology, 20(1), 68–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, E. (1991). Goals for parent and future-parent education: Research on parental beliefs and behavior. The Elementary School Journal, 91(3), 239–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soenens, B. (2006). Psychologically controlling parenting and adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Leuven, Belgium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics South Africa. (2007). General household survey 2006. (Online) www.statssa.gov.za. September 18, 2007.

  • Steinberg, L., Lamborn, N. D., Mounts, N. S., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1994). Over-time changes in adjustment and competence among adolescents from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent and neglectful families. Child Development, 65(3), 754–770.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swartz, S., & Bhana, A. (2009). Teenage Tata: Young fathers take responsibility. HSRC Review, 7(3), 4–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Steenkiste, M. (2005). Intrinsic versus extrinsic goal promotion and autonomy support versus control. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Leuven, Belgium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Steenkiste, M., Zhou, M., Lens, W., & Soenens, B. (2005). Experiences of autonomy and control among Chinese learners: Vitalizing or immobilizing? Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(3), 468–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Wel, F., Linsen, H., & Abma, R. (2000). The parental bond and the well-being of adolescents and young adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29(3), 307–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinraub, M., & Wolf, B. (1983). Effects of stress and social supports on mother-child interactions in single and two-parent families. Child Development, 54, 1297–1311.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wintre, M. G., & Yaffe, M. (2000). First-year students’ adjustment to university life as a function of relationships with parents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 15(1), 9–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Professor Willy Lens, at the University of Leuven in Belgium, as well as the Erasmusmundus2 programme and the University of the Western Cape for supporting me in completing this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Family Studies Programme, University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Town, South Africa

    Nicolette V. Roman

Authors
  1. Nicolette V. Roman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicolette V. Roman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    Helaine Selin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Roman, N.V. (2014). Parenting in a Rainbow Nation: A South African Perspective on Parenting. In: Selin, H. (eds) Parenting Across Cultures. Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7503-9_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7503-9_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7502-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7503-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation