ABSTRACT
This chapter explores intergenerational respect relationships to identify the main reasons underlying this reported decline in respect and its possible impact on the care of older persons. It also explores differences in the opinions of urban dwellers and rural dwellers, and interviews were therefore conducted in both urban and rural areas. The chapter suggests that granddaughters growing up in the 1990s are socialised to become respectful persons, as were their grandmothers in the 1920s and 1930s. The inquiry into respect relations between Zulu grandmothers and granddaughters aimed to shed more light on the capacity of younger generations to care for parents and grandparents in old age. The chapter shows that helping behaviour, including caring for frail and disabled elderly, featured as an important dimension of respect. Contemporary grandmothers and grandchildren appeared to be conversant – at least from hearsay – with Zulu customs, many of which are still practised, especially in the rural areas.
