A study in rural Malawi found that parents have many concerns regarding a daughter's schooling even before puberty (Grant, 2012). Lack of safety in schools, the negative influence of classmates, perceptions of sexual activity and loss of parental control shape parental predictions about how long daughters would remain in school, and weakened parental motivation to encourage them to do so. For example, in South Africa, a survey of parent engagement in their children's schooling found that the parents' gender, age, living standard and marital status all had an influence, with younger mothers participating most and fathers least (Mmotlane, Winnaar, & Kivilu, 2009). Ethnographic research in South Africa suggests other factors underlying parental detachment from educational institutions include low literacy levels, teachers' high status in the community and assumptions around the inherent quality of education.