Child work, care and neglect in farmworker homes: an empirical critique of Social Reproduction Theory

Purpose This article empirically critiques Social Reproduction Theory by examining schoolchildren’s work in South African farmworker homes during employment hours and its relation to employment practices and residential conditions. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal matched comparison case study design, with interview and observational data collected at three points over one year from 13 homes stratified by residence (farm vs. town) and employment (permanent vs. temporary). Thematic analysis and triangulation with social theoretical and contextual social policy and legislative data ensured rigour and robustness. Findings An average child care gap of 21.2 weekly hours in homes is identified: 24.72 (range: 20.33–29.67) for younger (ages 6–12) and 17.68 (range: 13.42–19.67) hours weekly for older (ages 13–17) schoolchildren. This corresponds with a legislated weekly gap between child education and adult employment ranging from 22.5 to 27.5 h, for older and younger schoolchildren respectively. This structures a social care deficit most acute for young schoolchildren and pervasive in townhomes, where state after-school childcare services are absent, resulting in a social state of child neglect. This social care deficit is shown to link to substantial risk: poor educational outcomes, teenage pregnancy, juvenile crime, child accidents, abuse, and kidnapping. Research limitations/implications Though the small sample limits statistical generalisability, the in-depth empirical inquiry provides rich, nuanced insights into the complex nexus of child work, care and neglect. This research design serves as a robust, replicable model for theory-building (Yin, 2018), enabling identification of critical empirical correlations and laying the groundwork for exploring additional local and global parallels and larger-scale research to further quantify findings. Practical implications Findings highlight targeted social policy and legislative interventions, beyond the recently enacted Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (Republic of South Africa, 2024), to align social employment and education work schedules to address the socio-structural care deficit. Social implications Findings offer foundational evidence directly relevant to social theory, policy and legislation to combat structural contributors to the social state of child neglect, and to mitigate social inequality and social risk across society. Originality/value This article pioneers empirical data on the nexus of labour, employment, work, care and neglect. It uniquely provides empirical evidence on the correlation between misaligned child education and adult employment work schedules structuring a social care deficit and associated social risk. It critiques SRT’s theoretico-political, adult-centric biases and contextual, conceptual and empirical gaps by grounding work in homes in material practices and conditions. It enhances SRT’s relevance to low-income contexts, social science and the sociology of work; and strengthens sociology’s contribution to social policy, legislation and critical social solutions.