Urban advantage or urban penalty? : a case study of female-headed households in a South African city

This paper presents a case study of female-headed households (FHH) in urban South Africa, through the lenses of urban environmental health and feminist geography. So marked are gendered differences in urban health, that the literature posits a ‘‘health disparity’’ in gendered terms, meaning a significant difference or inequality between identifiable groups. When comparing female-headed households (FHH) with other headed households (OHH), research reveals far starker variations within the sampled population than previous geographical, neighbourhood-based analysis. In the South African context, research links the phenomenon to both historical patterns of patriarchy and apartheid, and contemporary macroeconomic conditions and government policies that deepen the ‘‘feminization of poverty.’