Defining absent, unknown and undisclosed fathers in South Africa

Abstract

The absence of fathers in African black families is high. Therefore research to understand how this impacts identity formation, the economic survival of households and generally how the phenomenon is understood by those who experience this absence, has been on the increase in South Africa. Nevertheless, there is little agreement on the meaning of the term, father absence. In an attempt to correct this, a study was undertaken in Mpumalanga provinces in South Africa among women aged 14 to 36. Through domain analysis of narratives collected from 20 the young women, this article provides multiple conceptualizations of father absence as experienced by the young women. The various categories emerging from the data provide the following types of understandings of father absence: absent and unknown; absent but known; absent and undisclosed; and unknown and deceased. From a detailed discussion of these understandings, this article shows that the concept father absence is embedded in socio-economic and political contexts and therefore it is complex, and thus should be defined with care. It is thus hoped that the conceptualization provided here will allow researchers and practitioners to better understand the phenomenon of father absence.

Meaning Making in Growing Up Without a Father: Narratives of Young Adolescent Boys

“…For the purpose of this article absent fathers or father figures refer only to biological fathers who are absent through death, absent with occasional contact, absent with regular contact or absent with no contact at all [1,2]. It is acknowledged that the definition of a father cannot only be limited to biological fathers, since individuals such as uncles, brothers, grandfathers, male teachers and other male figures can also play a significant role as father figures to children who grow up without biological fathers [3,4].…”

Distance Parenting – Implications for Social Work Practice

“…Children may experience feelings of shame and illegitimacy when they do not know their fathers (Langa, 2010), or even be envious of others who know or live with their own fathers. Padi et al (2014) argue that fathers can be absent fully, partially economically or emotionally. Although absence may be inevitable where fathers are deceased, incarcerated or are unaware of the existence of their children, those who deliberately remove themselves from their responsibility to care for their children put a further strain on their families.…”

“…Although parenting should ideally be a shared task between men and women, mothers often take primary responsibility for the care of children, even when neither parent co-resides with their children (Ally, 2009;Richter, Chikovore & Makusha, 2010). Father involvement in nurturing and caring for their children is equally important (Padi et al, 2014). The migration of women spurs the reconfiguration of the gendered divisions of labour in the household, while men's migration preserves it by conforming to norms of breadwinner and financial provider (Hill et al, 2008;Parreñas, 2008).…”

“…Various factors contribute to increased contact between non-resident fathers and their children, some of which are fathers' levels of education (Padi et al, 2014), marriage to the children's mother (Rabe, 2007), father's payment of child support (Khunou, 2006), gender of the child, and if there was ever any co-residence. Cheadle, Amato and King (2010) found that children's gender is associated with increased contact for male children over female children.…”

“…It is therefore even more difficult in a situation where parenting occurs through a substitute, often a relative in the extended family. The extended family has a meaningful role to play where members can offer support, ranging from the provision of emotional support to material resources (Padi, Nduna, Khunou & Kholopane, 2014;Smit, 2001). Each person, regardless of age, is able to add value to the household as the elderly are often caregivers, and children help with chores around the house (Schatz & Ogunmefun, 2007).…”