Primary caregivers perceptions  of the role of fathers in the provision of nutritional care in a resource constrained environment in Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Background : The role of fathers has traditionally been defined as a breadwinner or provider, with men generally having lower levels of engagement in childcare tasks, especially with young children. The involvement of fathers has important consequences for child well-being, especially with regards to issues of diet/nutrition, exercise, play, and parenting behaviours. This paper seeks to explore the perceptions and limitations that primary caregivers have on fathers’ provision of care in a resource constrained community in South Africa. Methods : Data was collected through in-depth face to face interviews, with a sample of 10 primary caregivers in a resource constrained community in Cape Town, South Africa. Results : The findings reveal that there is a lack of involvement from fathers in the provision of nutritional care and that this affects mothers and grandmothers who then need to provide both the physical and emotional care to their children. These findings are based on the perspective of mothers and grandmothers and their perceived roles in the family. Conclusion : The level of lack of financial involvement from fathers has dramatically affected the participating family’s food security due to only one member in the household earning below minimum wage. This has therefore meant that the dietary needs of the family are not being met with nutritional foods, but instead by high fat and high sugar content foods. The findings also highlighted that primary caregivers want to be taught about health and nutritional food choices for a limited budget.

Impact of Gender Norms on Children’s Diets

“…Articles identified in the scoping review cited one or both of these norms in communities from Kenya (11), Ethiopia (12), Nepal (13,14), South Sudan (15), Ghana (16), India (17), and South Africa (18,19). In all circumstances, income poverty and food insecurity increased the severity of allocation inequities, with women acting as a 'buffer' (5) for the household in conditions under which food was unaffordable or otherwise difficult to access.…”

“…Multiple articles from the scoping review considered this paradigm, including studies from Ethiopia (34), China (35), South Africa (19,36), Kenya (37), and Malawi, as well as a cross-sectional study of Demographic and Healthy Survey data from 10 SSA 4 countries that found that, 'in general, likelihood of meeting recommended IYCF criteria was positively associated with the economic dimension of women's empowerment' (38). Two additional studies from SSA -Gilligan et al (39) (Uganda) and Bezner Kerr et al (40) (Malawi)-addressed women's bargaining power within an agricultural context, noting that increases in female autonomy with respect to smallholders' crop production decisions is associated with improved dietary diversity for children.…”

“…This trade-off between increasing women's financial autonomy and subsequently reducing the time they have available for childcare and food preparation is a function of women being traditionally assigned the role of primary (or exclusive) caretaker and meal provider for children. This challenge is well documented in both LMICs and high-income countries and was the focus of review articles from Singapore (41), Vietnam (42), South Africa (19), and Kenya (37). Each of these studies reported that mothers bearing multiple burdens of guilt from being away from their children, exhaustion, and tight budgets routinely defaulted to feeding their children processed foods that were cheap and quick to prepare or procure.…”

“…Source: (36) to healthy foods. This pathway was cited in articles from Kenya (37,44), Ethiopia (48), Ghana (2), South Africa (19,49), Pakistan (29), Uganda (50), Afghanistan (6), Mauritania (6), and Sierra Leone (6).…”

“…Review findings regarding father's roles within this space were mixed. Some studies focused on the pressure experienced by low-income mothers to wean early so as to return to work because the father was absent, and the mother was the sole income earner (19,37).…”