Fatherlessness is a problem that affects a majority of African families in South Africa.
African fathers become absent in the home due to various reasons such as, death,
divorce, separation, imprisonment and distant work commitments. Father figures
such as older brothers, uncles and stepfathers are a prominent feature in the African
the community. The literature study revealed that adolescence is a period of
transitioning from childhood into adulthood. During adolescence, adolescents
experience physiological, psychological, cognitive and social changes. This is the
time when adolescents begin to move away from their parents and seek
independence. Adolescence is also a time when romantic interests begin and
adolescents worry about whether they are attractive and if others will accept them.
Literature also revealed that fathers and father figures are essential in defining
masculinity and socialising young boys. African male adolescents can be socialised
into manhood through traditional male circumcision and mentorship. The literature
study also questioned whether there is a crisis in masculinity and society’s role in
redefining masculinity.
The goal of the research study was to explore paternal influences on the sexual
behaviour of African male adolescents. The intention of the researcher was to search
for a deeper understanding of paternal influences by functioning biological fathers
and father figures on the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents. The
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researcher also sought to identify how social services can improve service delivery
to families, fathers and male adolescents. The research focused on the role fathers
and father figures play on the sexual behaviour of young males who are currently in
the developmental phase of adolescence, which can also be described as the period
of transition into adulthood. The researcher used applied research and the qualitative
research approach to conduct the study. The study was conducted with a sample
size of 15 participants between the ages of 15 to 17 years. The researcher collected
data by means of means of semi-structured interviews and the use of an interview
schedule.
The empirical findings of this study suggest that African male adolescents believe
that African male adolescents are affected negatively by father absence. African
male adolescence perceive a good father or father figure as a father who is more
than just a breadwinner, a father who is able to provide guidance, advice and care as
well as spend time with his son. African male adolescents also believe that a ‘real
man’ knows how to treat women; he is faithful, trustworthy, considerate, decisive,
assertive and honest. African male adolescents expect their fathers and father
figures to teach them about relationships, sexuality, the consequences of unsafe sex
and the importance of delaying sexual début. Some African male adolescents feel
that their fathers and father figures often share little or no detailed information about
sexuality, sexual behaviour and relationships with them. Some African male
adolescents noted that additional sources of information about sexuality, sexual
behaviour and relationships come from school and other male relatives in the family
such as uncles. The empirical findings further revealed that some male adolescents
are concerned about the sexual behaviours modelled by their own fathers and father
figures, they observe that their fathers and father figures change partners too often
and that creates confusion in their lives. However other African male adolescents
expressed that their fathers and father figures model appropriate sexual behaviours
that give them something to aspire to. African male adolescents shared that there
are lessons about sexual behaviour that they have learnt from their fathers and
father figures that are worthy of being passed on to their own sons one day. A few
felt that they would rather pass on their own knowledge to their sons one day. The
empirical findings confirmed that fathers and father figure are influential on the
sexual behaviour of African male adolescents. Both the literature review and
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empirical findings further confirmed that paternal influences or lack thereof influence
the choices of African male adolescents about the kinds of fathers they want to be in
the future.
The study contains an in-depth literature review, research methodology, followed by
empirical findings that answer the research question. The last objective of the study
will be to draw conclusions and make recommendations on paternal influences on
the sexual behaviour of African male adolescents to inform social services
professionals’ service delivery to families and the youth, within the social work
profession. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/56060 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Motha, Lindelwe |
| Contributors | Spies, Gloudien M. |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Rights | 2016 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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