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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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"They don't listen"
— contemporary respect relations between Zulu grandmothers and granddaughters/-sons | | Author(s) | Valerie M_ller, Ayanda Sotshongaye |
| Journal title | Southern African Journal of Gerontology, vol 8, no 2, October 1999 |
| Pages | pp 18-27 |
| Keywords | Grandmothers ; Family relationships ; Grandchildren ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; South Africa. |
| Annotation | Intergenerational respect is the hallmark of social relations in African society. In South Africa, respect for older people is thought to have suffered due to factors such as rapid urbanisation and modernisation, and the disruptive effects of labour migration and apartheid laws on family life. Contemporary views on respect for older people were obtained in individual and group interviews with more than 80 Zulu grandmothers and teenage granddaughters and grandsons living in urban and rural areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal in 1995 and 1996. The study confirmed that the teaching of respect is regarded as a key role of Zulu grandmothers. Contemporary granddaughters are less obedient and subservient than earlier generations, but nevertheless rely on their grandmothers for moral guidance and practical assistance. Grandmothers complained that their granddaughters did not always listen to their advice; for example, issues relating to teenage pregnancy particularly threatened to strain relationships. Participants discussed the value of re-introducing rituals controlled by older women in traditional society, such as virginity examinations, to restore the social order. Many aspects of grandmothers' teachings still have relevance for today's young people, who are starved of authority and guidance in their lives. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000114246 A |
| Classmark | SW2: DS:SJ: SW5: TOB: 7PM |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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