Exploring child poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa: a multidimensional perspective

This paper develops child-specific multidimensional poverty measures employing data from General Household Surveys (GHSs) of 2002 and 2014, and uses the measures to assess change in child poverty over time. The measures presented draw on the Alkire-Foster methodology. However, it was adapted to include dimensions and indicators, which reflect the unique experiences of children aged 0–17 years, in post-apartheid South Africa. The results indicate a reduction in child poverty over time, from 0.150 in 2002 to 0.090 in 2014. However, the proportion of children who are deprived in at least one-third of some of the weighted indicators, in both time periods, remains high.