Abstract
As in other Sub-Saharan countries, the legal reforms that occur in Botswana have significant effects on family functioning and how parenting occurs. Parenting practices such as strategies for supporting, monitoring, and disciplining children have significant effects on children's physical, social, psychological, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing. An important section of the structural system that affects parenting practices is the law. Botswana's Children's Act is an overriding law that informs any children's policy and program as well as parenting behaviors. Children's laws in the country are influenced by both socio-cultural discourses as well as the international bodies that Botswana is signatory to such as the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC). The authors adopt a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine how Botswana's Children's Act of 2009 contributes to parenting practices in the country and the impact of socio-cultural discourses in understanding and implementing the act. Implications for social work practice, research, and policy are highlighted.
TopIntroduction
Parenting is a concept that is understood globally, but it is difficult to attach an exact meaning to it because nowadays a parent no longer necessarily means an individual with a biological tie to the child. For example, parenting can refer to a fostering situation including individual(s) or the state. The definition of parenting varies depending on the context in which it is used. Parenting commonly refers to child rearing behavior and parental beliefs, and attitudes such as perceptions, expectations, knowledge, ideas, goals, and values (Smith, 2011). That is, parenting denotes activities endorsed by parents when they interact with their child or children to enable physical, social, psychological, emotional, and behavioral wellbeing throughout the child’s lifespan (Liang, Fuller, & Singer, 2000; Danford, Schultz & Marvicsin, 2015). Parenting practices are noticeable behaviors, activities, decisions, and methods that are part and parcel of the parenting process implemented by parents to socialize and care for children (Liang, Fuller, & Singer, 2000; Bornstein, Hahn, & Haynes, 2011). Examples of parenting practices include parental involvement, support, monitoring, and disciplining of children.
Children’s exposure to various parenting practices speaks to their developmental processes (Williamson, Dutch & Clawson, 2010: Myers, Shoffner & Briggs, 2002). Positive parenting practices have affirmative behavioral outcomes such as delayed sexual debut (Wamoyi, Fenwick, Urassa, Zaba & Stones, 2011). Sexual debut is the age at which people have sexual intercourse for the first time in their life time (National AIDS Coordinating Agency-NACA, 2004). Negative parenting practices are associated with several behavioral challenges such as delinquency (Demuth & Brown, 2004) and depression (Garbarino, Vorrasi & Kostelny, 2002; Gershoff, 2010). For example, on the one hand, socio-cultural parenting practices such as physical discipline tend to be in conflict with legal parenting expectations since they often result in poor mental health development, and on the other hand those that encourage communal child care affirm legal expectations since they promote children’s security and protection that enhance children’s developmental needs.
Therefore the effects of structural factors on family structure and functioning as well as parenting practices cannot be over-emphasized. As in other sub-Saharan countries, the structural changes that occur in Botswana have significant effects on family structures and on how parenting occurs. Given the changes that occur at a family level as a result of economic and social development, one would expect that parenting issues would be given priority in research and social practice. However, limited literature on parenting implies that the issues pertaining to parenting practices are not given adequate attention in Botswana, especially in the research agenda. Culture and poverty play a significant role in the functioning of the family as well as in parenting practices (McDaniel & Zulu 1996; Ruiz-Casares 2009; Gaisie 2000; Dintwa 2010) even though they are often discussed in general terms. Another important section of the political and social context that affects family functioning and parenting but often receives minimal attention is public law.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Family: An organized social institution that takes different forms but is usually perceived as a social unit that is based on societal norms, affinity and reproduction, whose main aim is to socialize children (Amoateng & Richter, 2007).
Child: Any person under the age of 18 years old (Botswana Children’s Act of 2009 AU14: The in-text citation "Botswana Children’s Act of 2009" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Sexual Debut: The age at which people have sexual intercourse for the first time in their lifetime (National AIDS Coordinating Agency, 2004 AU17: The in-text citation "National AIDS Coordinating Agency, 2004" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA): Is a multidisciplinary approach that seeks to analyze the relationship between social structures and discourse (Wodak, 1999; Van Dijk, 2001). Critical discourse analysis is a method of discourse analysis that acknowledges that social problems are rooted within power dynamics and inequalities which can be understood through the analysis of text (Leitch & Palmer 2010).
Negative Parenting Practices: Parenting practices associated with several behavioral challenges such as delinquency (Demuth & Brown, 2004 AU15: The in-text citation "Demuth & Brown, 2004" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Parenting: Parental behaviors influenced by beliefs, norms and attitudes such as perceptions, expectations, knowledge, ideas, goals, and values to facilitate child rearing (Smith, 2011).
Parenting Practices: Noticeable behaviors, activities, decisions, and techniques that are part and parcel of the parenting process implemented by parents to socialize and care for children (Liang, Fuller, & Singer, 2000; Bornstein, Hahn, & Haynes, 2011).
Act: A legally binding order passed by the state’s parliamentary body.
Kgotla: A traditional and cultural place found in villages and small communities where community members gather to discuss different issues of interest to the community.
Positive Parenting Practices: Favorable behavioral outcomes that affect positive child behavior (Wamoyi, Fenwick, Urassa, Zaba, & Stones, 2011 AU16: The in-text citation "Wamoyi, Fenwick, Urassa, Zaba, & Stones, 2011" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).