The dynamics of parenting brought by children’s constitutional rights in Johannesburg South Africa
Phumuzani Mpofu, Emmison Muleya, Johanna Deka & Constance Matshidiso Lelaka
Abstract
This study examined how parenting in South Africa is adapting to children's constitutional rights. Using Parenting Style Theory within a transformative paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was employed. Participants included five young adults, five parents, and twelve professionals (teachers, police officers, social workers, religious leaders, and psychologists), selected purposively. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that children's rights have reshaped parenting practices. The ban on corporal punishment has disrupted traditional discipline, eroded indigenous parenting customs, and made it harder to teach practical life skills. Yet, these rights have also enhanced parenting by fostering more respectful, engaged relationships between parents and children. The study recommends parenting education, legal literacy programs, and support services to help parents align with evolving legal and social expectations. It highlights the need for a framework that both empowers parents and protects children’s rights. This research contributes to the discourse on child rights and parenting by stressing the importance of cultural and legal awareness. It expands Parenting Style Theory in the South African context, addressing policy gaps where parental support is often overlooked in favor of promoting children's rights. The findings offer valuable guidance for policymakers, educators, and child welfare professionals to develop interventions that reinforce families and uphold constitutional protections. Clearer legal direction and supportive systems are essential to help parents navigate the challenges of parenting in a rights-based society.
Keywords
parenting , dynamics of parenting, constitutional rights, children
Author information & Contribution
Phumuzani Mpofu. PhD. Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, School of Community and Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Email: phumuzani.mpofu@wits.ac.za
Emmison Muleya. Corresponding author. PhD. Lecturer, Department of social work, School of Community and Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Email: emmi.muleya@wits.ac.za
Johanna Deka. PhD. Lecturer, Department of social work, School of Community and Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Email: johanna.deka@wits.ac.za
Constance Matshidiso Lelaka. PhD. Lecturer, Department of social work, School of Community and Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Email: tshidi.lelaka@wits.ac.za
"All authors contributed equally to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines set by The University of Witwatersrand. The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by Wits Ethics committee non-medical protocol number H24/01/23.
Data and Materials Availability
AI Declaration
The authors declare the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the authors used ChatGPT for language editing.
Notes
Acknowledgement
References
Adeoye-Olatunde, O. A., & Olenik, N. L. (2021). Research and scholarly methods: Semi-structured interviews. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 4(10), 1358–1367. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1441
African Union. (2012). African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. African Union. https://au.int/en/documents-45
Antwi, S. K., & Hamza, K. (2015). Quantitative and qualitative research paradigms in business research: A philosophical reflection. European Journal of Business and Management, 7(3), 217–225. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234626233.pdf
Brighouse, H., & Swift, A. (2006). Parents’ rights and the value of the family. Ethics. https://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/mprg/BrighouseSwiftPRVF.pdf
Calvino, L. R. (2021). Protecting the vulnerable in South Africa: Prohibition of corporal punishment in the private sphere. Obiter, 42(3), 580–594.
Candelanza, A. L., Buot, E. Q. C., & Merin, J. A. (2021). Diana Baumrind’s parenting style and child’s academic performance. Psychology and Education, 58(5), 1497–1502.
Conradie, H. (1993). Children who abuse their parents. Acta Criminologica, 6(1), 89–92. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA10128093_333
Cottrell, B. (2001). Parent abuse: The abuse of parents by their teenage children. Health Canada. https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/19438
DeSantis, L., & Ugarriza, D. (2000). The concept of theme as used in qualitative nursing research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 22(3), 351–372. https://doi.org/10.1177/019394590002200308
Fadlillah, M., & Fauziah, S. (2022). Analysis of Diana Baumrind’s parenting style on early childhood development. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(2), 2127–2134. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i2.487
Farrell, E. (2020). Researching lived experience in education: Misunderstood or missed opportunity? International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920942066
Kiral, B. (2019). The rights and responsibilities of parents according to the views of teachers. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 5(1), 121–133. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1204672
Kohn, L. (2019, September 19). Spare the rod… and spare the child: Landmark ConCourt ruling overturns Psalm 137:9. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-09-19-spare-the-rod-and-spare-the-child-landmark-concourt-ruling-overturns-psalm-1379/
Lachman, J. M., Sherr, L. T., Cluver, L., Ward, C. L., Hutchings, J., & Gardner, F. (2016). Integrating evidence and context to develop a parenting program for low-income families in South Africa. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 2337–2352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0389-6
Lanjekar, P. D., Joshi, S. H., Lanjekar, P. D., & Wagh, V. (2022). The effect of parenting and the parent-child relationship on a child’s cognitive development: A literature review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30574
Lubaale, E. C. (2019). Reconceptualising “discipline” to inform an approach to corporal punishment that strikes a balance between children’s rights and parental rights. Child Abuse Research, 20(1), 36–50. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1613ec0054
Masoga, M. A., & Kaya, H. O. (2008). Globalisation and African cultural heritage erosion: Implications for policy. Indilinga: African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 7(2), 141–154. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC61552
Martin, P., & Mbambo, P. (2011). An exploratory study on the interplay between African customary law and practices and children’s protection rights in South Africa. https://www.childlinesa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/customary-law-study-south-africa-report-nov-2011.pdf
Masamba, H. (2024). Cultural influences on parenting styles and child development. International Journal of Humanity and Social Sciences, 2(3), 15-27.
Mpofu, P., & Machingauta, T. T. (2024). Children’s rights in the classroom: Do student rights outweigh teacher’s authority? International Review of Social Sciences Research, 4(3), 76–98. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353085
Mpofu, P., & Mayisela, S. (2025). A comprehensive parenting framework for post-Apartheid South Africa: Informing effective parenting practices. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 5(2), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijspsy.v5i2.1718
Mulisa, F. (2022). When does a researcher choose a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research approach? Interchange, 53(1), 113–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-021-09447-z
Muzingili, T., & Muntanga, W. (2020). Opportunities and challenges associated with use of indigenous parenting practices on child discipline. African Journal of Social Work, 10(2), 61–69. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsw/article/view/198841
Nyimbili, F., & Nyimbili, L. (2024). Types of purposive sampling techniques with their examples and application in qualitative research studies. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 5(1), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0419
Pagones, S. (2023, May 5). Violence against school teachers soars, but woke schools still won’t discipline bullies. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/violence-against-teachers-soars-but-no-discipline-of-bullies/
Proudlock, P., Mathews, S., & Jamieson, L. (2014). Children’s right to be protected from violence: A review of South Africa’s laws and policies. In: P. Proudlock (ed.) South Africa’s progress in realising children’s rights: A law review. Children’s Institute.
RSA (Republic of South Africa). (1996). Constitution of South Africa: Act 108 of 1996. https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996
RSA (Republic of South Africa). (2005). Children’s Act 38 of 2005. https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a38-053.pdf
Save the Children. (2019). Save the Children welcomes the banning of corporal punishment. https://www.savethechildren.org.za/News-and-Events/News/Save-the-Children-South-Africa-welcomes-the-bannin
Sebele-Mpofu, F. Y. (2020). Saturation controversy in qualitative research: Complexities and underlying assumptions. A literature review. Cogent Social Sciences, 6(1), Article 1838706. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1838706
Sibanda, O. S. (2019, September 22). Ruling banning the spanking of children is both legally and morally sound. Daily Maverick. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2019-09-22-ruling-banning-the-spanking-of-children-is-both-legally-and-morally-sound/
Songca, R. (2011). Evaluation of children’s rights in South African law: The dawn of an emerging approach to children’s rights? Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa, 44(3), Article 3.
United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
Walker, T. (2022, March 18). Violence, threats against teachers, school staff could hasten exodus from profession. NEA News. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/violence-threats-against-teachers-school-staff-could-hasten-exodus-profession
Williams, D. D. (2018). Qualitative inquiry in daily life (1st ed.). EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/qualitativeinquiry
Cite this article:
Mpofu, P., Muleya, E., Deka, J. & Lelaka, C.M. (2025). The dynamics of parenting brought by children’s constitutional rights in Johannesburg South Africa. International Review of Social Sciences Research, 5(3), 146-168. https://doi.org/10.53378/irssr.353242
License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) International License.
Find this article in:
Most read articles
- Social media usage and the academic performance of Filipino junior high school students
- A narrative exploration of romantic experiences and ideal relationship standards among Filipino Gen Z
- Exploring the factors influencing commuters’ satisfaction and the use of public utility buses in Quezon City, Philippines
- Students’ exposure to social media and their radical involvement on the societal issues in the Philippines
- ChatGPT integration significantly boosts personalized learning outcomes: A Philippine study
- Tiktok made me book it: The impact of Tiktok on tourism destination selection of generation Z and millennials in Manila
- Senior high school students’ awareness and literacy on computer software applications
- Self-perception of ABM students towards their academic, social and emotional college preparedness
- Enhancing financial literacy among Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries
- Emotional intelligence and leadership efficacy of university student leaders