Work-care satisfaction and capabilities: Examining single mother's satisfaction with juggling paid work and childcare in Gugulethu, South Africa

Abstract

Capabilities as espoused by Sen are the realizable opportunities that are open to an individual that enable her to be or do that which she finds reasonably valuable. This study assessed the work-care arrangement capabilities that single mothers in Gugulethu have at their disposal to undertake a juggling arrangement schedule that they find satisfying (fulfilling). In this study, single mothers were asked to affiliate themselves to one of three work-care arrangement groups namely, work-centered, child-centered and flexible. Then, the study empirically examined if there is a significant difference in respondents' work-care satisfaction within these three groups. It accomplished this by using the Kruskal-Wallis Test. The study then went on to identify the work-care arrangement capabilities of 7 single mothers who were undertaking juggling arrangement schedules that were not of their preference or choice. They were interviewed in this study to ascertain whether they had viable opportunities/ capabilities to undertake their preferred juggling arrangement schedule, which they believed would bring them much personal fulfilment/satisfaction.