This study aimed to explore the perceptions of the role of the father and the experiences of fatherhood among Black South African fathers residing in urban Johannesburg. It further investigated how the experience of being fathered influenced being a father. Qualitative methods were utilised in the form of a narrative analysis of semi structured interviews. The interviews and the analysis relied upon the guidelines of the psychoanalytic research interview (Cartwright, 2002) in providing a psychoanalytic lens through which to analyse the data. An in depth analysis of the interview data and process notes generated the following focal themes: pre-natal experiences, identification, reparation, the experience of being a father, the perceived role of the father, transitioning into fatherhood and the internal father. Becoming a father seemed to bring with it a host of different emotions and anxieties both within the prenatal and post natal stages. Becoming a father also seemed to cause the majority of the participants to reflect on their own childhoods and their experiences of being fathered. Fatherhood also seemed to provide the opportunity for some type of reparation with the participants own fathers through their new roles as fathers. Transitioning into fatherhood proved to be difficult for most of the participants and the loss of certain aspects of their lives such as their more carefree youth and less responsibility, was highlighted. Interesting to note is the point that although all the participants were Black males, little information regarding traditional beliefs around fathering emerged. This was thought to be due to the fact that all the participants resided in an urban area, thus the strong influence of western culture was apparent.

Issues concerning children may be the most intense and emotive areas of divorce and can lead to spectacular legal battles. Social work practice revealed that it is often the father who leaves the court, stripped of his fatherhood by a court order that only grants him limited access to his own children. Some divorced fathers disengage from their children's lives but there is documented evidence of South African fathers who desire continuity in their relationships with their children after divorce. An interest in these fathers prompted this study. Fathers who challenged maternal custody were selected since it was assumed that their lived experiences would include non-custodial as well as custodial fatherhood. The study was approached from a constructivist position and was further informed by a family systems theory. South African and international literature was perused followed by an exploratory study on the relatively uncharted terrain of paternal custody. A qualitative method was used and one unstructured interview with a schedule was conducted with each of the five respondents who were selected according to non-probability purposive sampling methods. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed cross-sectionally around certain themes and categories that were extracted from the data. The most significant findings of the study which appear to resemble some earlier national and international findings, are summarised as follows: Some fathers appear to have sound motives for pursuing custody of their children. These fathers, if afforded the opportunity, find fulfilment in parenting their children whom they perceive to be happy and prosperous in their care. There are fathers in whom divorce causes clear and profound signs of distress which appear to be related to the loss of the pre-divorce father I child relationship. The feeling of powerlessness to effect the well-being of their children as they see it was emphasised. Recommendations generated from these findings relate to the elimination of gender bias from custody decisions, including fathers in therapeutic interventions with divorced families and the provision of family courts and mediation services as suggested in the White Paper for Social Welfare. Recommendations for future research are also presented.

M.A. / Since the seventies social workers have become increasingly aware of the necessity and potential effectiveness of social work, and this stimulated the ideal to want to offer services to clients even more responsibly. The social work profession prides itself in its commitment to the development of the strengths and virtues of people rather than focusing on their weaknesses and shortcomings. All these considerations have formed part of the researcher's interest in the unmarried father as an object of research ...

A research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements toward the degree of Master of Arts in Social and Psychological Research by Coursework and Research Report, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development. / Current research on fatherhood in South Africa highlighted a shift in the perceptions of the fathering role entailing an increase in emotional involvement with their children. In addition, existing research on fatherhood indicated ways in which the fathers’ experience of emotional support systems influence their fathering roles, in terms of paternal involvement. This research explores young fathers’ perceptions of the importance their emotional involvement with their children. In addition, it explores young fathers’ experience of emotional support systems. This further highlight how such support influences participants’ perceptions of the importance of the father’s emotional involvement with his child. The sample for this study consisted of four young fathers between the ages of 18 to 22 years old. With the use of semistructured interviews as the method of data collection, interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. This study used a social constructionist approach as its theoretical framework. The findings of this study suggest that these young fathers perceived the importance of the father’s emotional involvement and the formation of the bond between father and child as the personal growth that they experienced. Both types of growth resulted in emotional rewards for participants. In addition, the young fathers’ constructions of a ‘good father’ and their constructed understanding of fatherhood as a form of ‘ownership’, accompanied their strong sense of duty to fulfil these roles. This involved being emotionally invested in their child’s lives. For these young fathers their emotional support systems consisted of friends, family members, the mother of their child and the mother of their child’s family. This emotional support was in the form of advice and behaviour. This behaviour consisted of their behaviour toward the fathers, such as… In addition, it also included their behaviours as role models, for example these fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives were actively learnt through the guidance of their support systems. It was found that such support assisted the transition into fatherhood and provided these young fathers with a sense of reassurance of their roles and duties, prompting their emotional involvement with their children. / NG (2020)

Father-absence, whether it be in the context of short duration or total absence, tends to provide inadequacies in the child's interaction with his/her father, leading to accompanying debilitating effects on cognitive functioning (Sutton-Smith et al, 1986). In view of the South African context father-absence economically sanctioned through migrant labour amongst Africans, manifests itself during the formative years of children's lives. For this reason this study investigates the association between migrant father-absence and children's levels of high school academic achievement. The sample of matched father-absent and -present working class children was acquired from 39 schools under the Venda State department of Education. HSRC's standardised Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) biology, English second language, and mathematics were used as data gathering instruments. 276 father-absent and -present high school (Std 10) students data was analysed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to establish how academic achievement among students varies by family patterns and gender. Differences established between family patterns and gender on SAT raw scores of the Total Battery, mathematics, English second language and biology are reported separately. The results of the study seem to suggest that father-absence has some remarkable deleterious effects upon scholastic achievement, apparently depending upon the type of skill tested. Furthermore, another significant finding indicated among these working class African children is that father-presence tends to benefit males more than females, while father-absence detrimentally affects females more than their male counterparts.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Social Work degree Social Development the department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities at the University of Witwatersrand 2017 / The phenomenon of absent fathers is not uniquely a South African problem but it is a global issue affecting numerous countries such as Norway, the United States of America as well as other African countries such as Nigeria, Swaziland Botswana to mention a few. Levels of paternal absence in South Africa seem particularly high in comparison to estimates for many other African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The absence of fathers in their children’s lives leave children vulnerable after their biological mothers pass on and are subsequently placed in foster care as a measure of protecting and securing the child. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of foster parents raising African foster care children with absent fathers in the Mpumalanga Province in Gert Sibande region, Msukaligwa sub-district. This study used a qualitative approach with an exploratory design. The research instrument that was used was an interview schedule and the data collection method that was employed was face-to-face semi structured interview. Data were analysed through thematic content analysis. The participants in the study comprised of 20 foster care parents aged from 25 years old and above. The main findings of this study were that foster parents seemed to perceive fathers as economic providers and most of them expressed that their absence seemed to be felt especially when it comes to the lack of financial provision. In addition to financial hardships, emotional and cultural hardships were also identified. The study recommends that more studies of this nature need to be done in order to come up with intervention strategies that governments need to use in order to release some of the strains faced by foster parents who are raising African children in foster care. The conclusion of the study is that South African families require attention, considering that father absence has taken a toll. The ripple effect of father’s failure to be present in their children’s lives and support their children will increase the number of children depending on state interventions such as foster care placements. / MT 2018

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

This study investigated the construction of fatherhood through the 'voices of children' from a selection of schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. An open, exploratory qualitative research design was employed. The results suggest that children's constructions are primarily contemporary in nature, as opposed to traditional stereotypical notions of fathers as providers only. Fathers were cast in a 'new father' role as loving, caring, supportive and involved. Despite contemporary constructions, children also acknowledge a wide range of father imperfections. Differences in constructions were evident between children from different socio-economic backgrounds. Increased research efforts could focus on exploring gender and socio-economic differences in greater detail. It is hoped that these findings will provide the impetus for practitioners and researchers to be more inclusive of fathers and children in research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The purpose of the study was to explore the needs, attitudes and beliefs of adolescent fathers regarding fatherhood in Limpopo Province and to recommend health promotion initiatives that will address the unique needs of this group to enable them to manage this phase of their lives effectively. The study was conducted in Unit F clinic situated in the Lepelle Nkumpi, a local municipality located in the Capricorn District. Data collection methods: The study utilised qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to recruit adolescent fathers in Lepelle Nkumpi municipality to participate. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews to allow open and free expression. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The population of the study was adolescent fathers between 13 and 19 years of age belonging to the Bapedi ethnic group, whose babies’ mothers were also adolescents. Participants’ beliefs and attitudes regarding fatherhood were highlighted. Their unique needs were identified and recommendations made for the health and social development practitioners on measures to address their needs. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

The aim of this study was to explore absent fathers' experiences. This involved determining absent fathers' conceptualisation of fatherhood, exploring the psychological well-being of absent fathers, and how absent fathers cope with being absent from their children‟s lives. An ecosystemic approach was employed as the epistemology to understand the participants in terms of organisation of their behaviour in social contexts. Qualitative research was used, and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect the data. The research found that these fathers' experiences of being absent from their children's lives have negatively affected several aspects of their lives, both emotionally and behaviourally. Furthermore, the study concluded that fathers who are absent from their children‟s lives, while aware of the roles they need to play, seem unable to fulfil these roles. Lastly, the absent fathers revealed a tendency to react ambivalently towards their identities as fathers. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)