Love and Assault: Parents’ Views on Corporal Punishment in School

Abstract

Corporal punishment remains prevalent in schools globally, and even after its prohibition in South Africa, the focus of this study, it continues. In some historically disadvantaged school environments, it persists with the approval of parents. Mothers and grandmothers, who are pivotal in supporting children's education and well-being, are central to this dynamic as parents. However, in impoverished rural settings, parents are often unfairly blamed for endorsing corporal punishment without considering the sociocultural context they inhabit. Drawing from a qualitative study conducted in an impoverished rural community where women bear the burden of caring for children, this paper challenges the prevailing one-sided narrative of parental support for corporal punishment. Instead, it argues for a nuanced understanding of corporal punishment that is contextual. Parents' endorsement of corporal punishment is contingent; it is accepted when framed as ‘disciplinary action infused with love’ but rejected when labelled as ‘assault’. An understanding of corporal punishment as an assemblage is critical if accounts of disciplinary practices within local school settings are to move beyond simplified accounts of parents' universal support for corporal punishment.