ENGLISH : Modern fathers often insist that men and women receive equal child rearing responsibilities during marriage and after divorce. It is therefore important to an increasing number of fathers in divorce proceedings, to be considered in the ruling over custody of the child/ren. Research with reference to single fathers and as head of a family was until recently limited. The goal of the research was to explore the experiences of single parenthood by the father with custody of children in their middle childhood years. A qualitative research approach was considered as the most appropriate approach for this study, since the aim of the study was to understand “the world” of the divorced father with custody of his child/ren in their middle childhood years. Furthermore, the aim of the study was to determine how single fathers experience parenthood and how it influences their lives. Through purposive sampling six (N=6) single fathers with custody of their child/ren in their middle childhood years were involved in the study. The researcher conducted a semistructured interview with each of the identified fathers. The researcher managed to compile a theoretical framework regarding custody, the effect of the divorce on a parent as well as the child/ren in the middle childhood years and the experience of single parenthood by the single father, by means of a literature study and discussions with experts. A decade ago, single parent families with the father as the head were a rare phenomenon. The situation is starting to change as the courts are more willing to grant divorced fathers custody of their child/ren. In the past, it was the norm that custody of the children was automatically granted to mothers. At present, the courts are using the best interest of the child/ren; and the ability of a parent to care for the child/ren as guideline. Since it is not always easy for the court to determine which parent should be granted custody of the child/ren, reports from social workers as well as the family advocate are requested. If one of the parties oppose the ruling, a report from a psychologist may be requested. During the empirical study, the data was analysed. The semi-structured interviews made it possible for the researcher to follow up particular themes that emerged from the interviews, while the participants were able to give a fuller picture. Each of the interviews was transcribed and processed according to Creswell’s qualitative data-analysing process. In view of the research information the researcher reached the conclusion that the fathers are successfully fulfilling their roles as single parents. The single fathers do experience role strain but with the assistance of their established support systems they manage to master their roles and tasks. As devoted fathers they wanted to continue full-time parenting after their divorce. The fathers are willing to make the necessary sacrifices and changes that come with single parenthood. They acknowledge that there are challenges but that the positive outweighs the negative. For future research, it is recommended that a bigger sample of single fathers with custody of their child/ren in their middle childhood years should be researched to obtain representative data in terms of fathers’ experiences of single parenthood. The father’s child/ren, family members and domestic workers can also be included in future research in order to provide valuable information about the role of the single father and the impact on the father’s functioning. AFRIKAANS : Hedendaagse vaders dring dikwels daarop aan dat mans en vroue gelyke kinderopvoedingsverantwoordelikhede geniet tydens getroude lewe en ná egskeiding. Dit is gevolglik vir ‘n toenemende aantal vaders in egskeidingsgedinge belangrik om in aanmerking geneem te word met die beslissing oor die beheer en toesig van die kind/ers. Navorsing met betrekking tot vaders as enkelouers en hoof van die gesin, was tot onlangs beperk. Die doelstelling van die navorsing was om die belewenis van enkelouerskap deur die vader met beheer en toesig oor kinders in die middelkinderjare te ondersoek. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is as die geskikste navorsingsbenadering vir hierdie studie beskou aangesien die doel van die studie was om die geskeide vaders, wat beheer en toesig verkry het oor hulle kind/ers in die middelkinderjare, se leefwêrelde te begryp. Voorts is daar met die studie beoog om vas te stel hoe geskeide vaders enkelouerskap beleef en hulle lewens daardeur beïnvloed word. Ses (N=6) geskeide vaders aan wie beheer en toesig van middeljarige kind/ers toegeken is, is deur middel van ‘n doelgerigte steekproeftrekking by die ondersoek betrek. Die navorser het met elk van hierdie vaders ‘n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud gevoer. Met behulp van literatuurstudie en gesprekke met kundiges het die navorser daarin geslaag om ‘n teoretiese raamwerk saam te stel ten opsigte van beheer en toesig, die effek van egskeiding op ‘n ouerpaar en ‘n kind in die middelkinderjare, asook die belewenis van enkelouerskap deur die vader. Tien jaar gelede was enkelouergesinne met ‘n vader aan die hoof ‘n vreemde verskynsel. Die situasie is egter besig om te verander soos die howe geredeliker beheer en toesig van kinders aan geskeide vaders toevertrou. In die verlede was die norm dat beheer en toesig van kinders outomaties aan moeders toegeken word. Tans gebruik howe egter die kind/ers se belange, en die ouers se vermoë om na die kind/ers om te sien, as riglyn. Aangesien dit nie altyd maklik is om te bepaal watter ouer beheer en toesig oor die kind/ers behoort te kry nie, word verslae deur maatskaplike werkers, asook ‘n aanbeveling van die gesinsadvokaat aangevra. Indien een van die partye die bevindinge teëstaan kan ‘n verslag deur ‘n sielkundige aangevra word. Tydens die empiriese studie is die inligting geanaliseer. Die semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude het die navorser in staat gestel om sekere temas, wat tydens die onderhoude na vore gekom het, op te volg, terwyl die respondente in staat gestel is om hul omvattende verhaal te vertel. Elk van die onderhoude is getranskribeer en ooreenkomstig Cresswell se kwalitatiewe data-analiseproses verwerk. Op grond van die navorsingsbevindinge kom die navorser tot die gevolgtrekking dat vaders hulle goed van hul taak kwyt as enkelouers. Die enkelvaders ervaar rolspanning, maar met behulp van goed gevestigde ondersteuningstelsels slaag hulle daarin om die rolle en take te bemeester. As toegewyde vaders wou hulle graag hul ouerskap voortsit ná die egskeiding. Die vaders is bereid om die nodige opofferinge en veranderinge te maak wat ouerskap van hulle vereis. Hulle erken wel dat dit nie sonder uitdagings is nie, maar die positiewe weeg vir hulle meer as die negatiewe. Vir toekomstige navorsing word aanbeveel dat navorsers op ‘n groter aantal enkelouervaders met beheer en toesig oor hulle kind/ers in die middelkinderjare fokus om sodoende meer verteenwoordigende inligting te bekom oor hierdie vaders se belewenis van enkelouerskap. Die vaders se kind/ers, familielede, vriende en huishulpe kan ook betrek word by toekomstige navorsing, aangesien hulle waardevolle inligting kan verskaf oor die rol van die enkelvader en die impak daarvan op sy funksionering. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted