This study helps us understand the complexities of transnational abandonment, and transnational abandonment in the context of Saudi heritage in particular. Based on a textual analysis of narratives on a blog by individuals abandoned by their Saudi fathers, my findings suggest that they discursively construct their identity in three ways: a) by negotiating their illegitimate status as perceived by many Saudis, and the validity of their search; b) by making sense of the absence of father and the cultural knowledge of the paternal side, while negotiating the inevitable presence of the father in many other ways and their ethnic difference; c) by navigating the tensions of continuing with the search and anticipating the consequences. These themes highlight how conditions of father absence, particularly where the father has a national origin different from one's own has dynamic and conflicting implications socially and culturally, and for production of identities for their children. In sum, this study challenges uncritical celebration of multiculturalism in the US, and broadens the understanding of the complexities of hybrid identities.

No description available.

Fatherlessness is a serious problem in South Africa and statistics show a high rate of children growing up without parents and particularly without a biological father. An estimated nine million children in South Africa are growing up without a father (Statistics South Africa [StatsSA], 2010). Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) (2010) highlights the systematic disappearance of the traditional family structure among South African families. According to their statistics, only 27% of South African children live with their biological parents, which is a further indication of the increasing number of children in South Africa that come from fatherless homes. In light of the above, the primary goal of the study was to determine teachers‟ perceptions on the impact of fatherlessness on child development. A literature review was undertaken to analyse and describe the effect of fatherlessness on child development from Bronfenbrenner‟s bio-ecosystemic perspective. Secondly, a case study was conducted to qualitatively explore the perceptions of primary school teachers on the effect of fatherlessness on child development. The data was gathered by means of focus group interviews and analysed. The following findings arose from the empirical study: * Fatherlessness has an effect on virtually all facets of child development (emotional, social, moral, spiritual, cognitive and physical). * Fatherlessness implies the absence of a father, whether it is because of death, physical absence (lives and works elsewhere), a lack of involvement (the so-called present-absent father) or that the identity of the father is unknown. * Fatherless learners need special intervention strategies to support their development. * The types of intervention strategies include emotional support, opportunities for male gender role identification and community awareness projects on fatherlessness. * Aside from the material support some teachers offer to the learners, the school does not provide any formal support to fatherless learners. Recommendations are made, in accordance with the findings, in regard to the support of fatherless learners. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Fatherlessness is a serious problem in South Africa and statistics show a high rate of children growing up without parents and particularly without a biological father. An estimated nine million children in South Africa are growing up without a father (Statistics South Africa [StatsSA], 2010). Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) (2010) highlights the systematic disappearance of the traditional family structure among South African families. According to their statistics, only 27% of South African children live with their biological parents, which is a further indication of the increasing number of children in South Africa that come from fatherless homes. In light of the above, the primary goal of the study was to determine teachers‟ perceptions on the impact of fatherlessness on child development. A literature review was undertaken to analyse and describe the effect of fatherlessness on child development from Bronfenbrenner‟s bio-ecosystemic perspective. Secondly, a case study was conducted to qualitatively explore the perceptions of primary school teachers on the effect of fatherlessness on child development. The data was gathered by means of focus group interviews and analysed. The following findings arose from the empirical study: * Fatherlessness has an effect on virtually all facets of child development (emotional, social, moral, spiritual, cognitive and physical). * Fatherlessness implies the absence of a father, whether it is because of death, physical absence (lives and works elsewhere), a lack of involvement (the so-called present-absent father) or that the identity of the father is unknown. * Fatherless learners need special intervention strategies to support their development. * The types of intervention strategies include emotional support, opportunities for male gender role identification and community awareness projects on fatherlessness. * Aside from the material support some teachers offer to the learners, the school does not provide any formal support to fatherless learners. Recommendations are made, in accordance with the findings, in regard to the support of fatherless learners. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Scholars confirm that a huge proportion of black South African men are not participating in their children's upbringing, as a result, children face various challenges that impede their wellbeing. This study is of the view that there is still a need for further investigations to explore the effects of fatherlessness on children's wellbeing and to gain new perspectives on father absence within the context of black societies in South Africa. With that in mind, this study aimed to explore the impact of fatherlessness on the psychosocial wellbeing of young black South African men. The objectives of this study included investigating the following: (1) young men's experiences of growing up without their biological fathers; (2) the psychosocial effects of growing up without a biological father on young black men; (3) the ways in which fatherlessness shapes the development of a gendered (masculine) identity among young black men; and (4) to understand the ways in which fatherlessness shapes young men's participation in cultural practices that facilitate their transition to manhood (e.g. ulwaluko). A qualitative approach research approach was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews (face to face) were used for data collection, and both purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit participants for this study. The interviews were conducted with twenty-four (24) young black men (participants) who shared their experiences of growing up without the presence of their biological fathers. These participants resided in Langa township (Western Cape). The interviews were conducted during the third wave of Covid-19, so all the protocols to safeguard the spread of Covid-19 were observed. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. It further drew on the psychosocial developmental theory by Erik Erickson (1963) as a lens through which it reflects on young men's developmental processes and the ways in which such development is shaped by the absence of biological fathers. The findings suggest that many of the participants' conceptions of the roles of fathers were in line with the traditional views of fathers as financial providers, protectors, and disciplinarians. The results of this study also gave insight into challenges faced by young black men who grew up without their biological fathers. These challenges were related to their cultural identity, which then affected their capacity to build intimate relationships, affected them when they were undergoing ulwaluko, and affected their constructions of masculinity. Fatherlessness was also shown to have a negative impact on the education and psychosocial wellbeing of the young black men in the study.

No description available.

Fatherlessness seems to have instigated a growing political and social debate in recent years (Daniels, 1998). At the core of this debate lies the questions of whether fatherlessness today is more widespread than it has been historically, and whether the necessity and efficacy of fathers is important in the changing landscape of family paradigms (Daniels, 1998). In the last thirty years, research has defined fatherlessness in terms of parental marital status, father abandonment, and father death (Daniels, 1998; Gallagher, 1998; Popenoe, 1996). Some psychoanalysts extended the definition to include the emotional absence (Blundell, 2002), or emotional unavailability of the father (Lamb & Tamis-LeMonda, 2004). Research suggests that children raised by both biological parents have greater socio-economic success (McLanahan & Teitler, 1999), seem to have an intellectual advantage (Research Center for Minority Data, 2009), and are less prone to encounter emotional problems than single-parented children (Cockett and Tripp, 1994). These factors reflect the deficit model of fatherlessness that dominated child development research prior to the 1970s (Hawkins and Dollahite, 1997). More current research focused on the benefits of father involvement and purported that fathers who are more involved in the lives of their children (Day & Lamb, 2004; Pleck & Masciadrelli, 2004), and make themselves more emotionally available tend to raise children with fewer emotional problems and better overall mental health (Lum & Phares, 2005). With society producing what some refer to as a fatherless generation (Hydrate Studios, 2006), and a number of researchers attesting that fatherlessness is a devastating modern, social trend (Blackenhorn, 1995; Popenoe, 1996), current qualitative research was warranted in order to explore factors that lead fatherless individuals to assume a fatherless identity. In this exploratory case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to better understand fatherlessness as experienced by adult male case study participants. The study focused on the experiences of men in order to manage the scope of research, and defer to the male experiences that prompted the research. Four men self-identified as fatherless with no imposed research definition by responding to the recruitment question Are You Fatherless? Results indicated that historical ways of defining fatherless were merely factors that intensify the experience; they do not define a person as fatherless. Findings suggested that the father role, family dynamics, emotionality, socio-economic and intellectual factors, disparate ideal and perceived father images, negative emotional connections with fathers, and a sons sense of masculinity all play a part in men assuming a fatherless identity.

Fatherlessness seems to have instigated a growing political and social debate in recent years (Daniels, 1998). At the core of this debate lies the questions of whether fatherlessness today is more widespread than it has been historically, and whether the necessity and efficacy of fathers is important in the changing landscape of family paradigms (Daniels, 1998). In the last thirty years, research has defined fatherlessness in terms of parental marital status, father abandonment, and father death (Daniels, 1998; Gallagher, 1998; Popenoe, 1996). Some psychoanalysts extended the definition to include the emotional absence (Blundell, 2002), or emotional unavailability of the father (Lamb & Tamis-LeMonda, 2004). Research suggests that children raised by both biological parents have greater socio-economic success (McLanahan & Teitler, 1999), seem to have an intellectual advantage (Research Center for Minority Data, 2009), and are less prone to encounter emotional problems than single-parented children (Cockett and Tripp, 1994). These factors reflect the deficit model of fatherlessness that dominated child development research prior to the 1970s (Hawkins and Dollahite, 1997). More current research focused on the benefits of father involvement and purported that fathers who are more involved in the lives of their children (Day & Lamb, 2004; Pleck & Masciadrelli, 2004), and make themselves more emotionally available tend to raise children with fewer emotional problems and better overall mental health (Lum & Phares, 2005). With society producing what some refer to as a fatherless generation (Hydrate Studios, 2006), and a number of researchers attesting that fatherlessness is a devastating modern, social trend (Blackenhorn, 1995; Popenoe, 1996), current qualitative research was warranted in order to explore factors that lead fatherless individuals to assume a fatherless identity. In this exploratory case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to better understand fatherlessness as experienced by adult male case study participants. The study focused on the experiences of men in order to manage the scope of research, and defer to the male experiences that prompted the research. Four men self-identified as fatherless with no imposed research definition by responding to the recruitment question Are You Fatherless? Results indicated that historical ways of defining fatherless were merely factors that intensify the experience; they do not define a person as fatherless. Findings suggested that the father role, family dynamics, emotionality, socio-economic and intellectual factors, disparate ideal and perceived father images, negative emotional connections with fathers, and a sons sense of masculinity all play a part in men assuming a fatherless identity.

Psychology's literature regarding fatherlessness is not only grim, mainly pointing out the negative consequences of fatherlessness, but it also does not provide much specific information about fatherless individuals' experiences. A pilot study revealed that fatherless individuals do not always suffer from the loss of their father and that they also have the ability to overcome the negative consequences commonly associated with father loss. The research questions for this study presented themselves naturally after reviewing the literature and after considering the results of my pilot study, namely, “What do fatherless individuals actually experience in being fatherless, and what is the nature of the experience of being fatherless in people who seem to display successful coping and resilience?” Phenomenology and the Grounded Interpretive research method were employed to explore in depth the lived experience of three participants. My interviews show that cultural, family, and educational background and the individual's interpretations of his or her situation significantly contributed to how fatherlessness was experienced. In contrast to the generally grim literature on fatherlessness, the results of the present study suggest that the consequences of fatherlessness do not have to be as grim as they are generally portrayed. While fatherlessness is difficult, there is hope for the fatherless in that they can overcome the negative implications of their situation-a finding that contributes to a more holistic understanding and a perspective of fatherlessness that has not yet been sufficiently been documented by the literature.

Thesis (M. A. (Criminology and Criminal Justice)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The rise of crime committed by young offenders in South Africa has become a major concern (Pelser 2008:1). The Mentz community – a small township situated in GaMamabolo - likewise experiences high levels of crime and violence, much of which is committed by young, unemployed offenders. Although the findings in this research are not necessarily applicable to other places in South Africa, it is the researcher’s opinion that the situation in Mentz Village is representative of many other places in this country, especially in rural areas. This study investigated crime among the youth in Mentz Village and focused on factors that contribute to crime among the youth. Qualitative methodology had been employed in this study and case studies, together with semi-structured interviews, were used to obtain information. Keywords: Youth crime, Mentz Village, unemployment, fatherlessness, quiting school, alcohol and drug abuse, police corruption, peer influence, Self confessed criminals.