Talking South African fathers: a critical examination of men�s constructions and experiences of fatherhood and fatherlessness
| dc.contributor.author | Ratele, Kopano | |
| dc.contributor.author | Shefer, Tamara | |
| dc.contributor.author | Clowes, Lindsay | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 16/09/2013 15:18 | |
| dc.date.available | 16/09/2013 15:18 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2012 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The absence of biological fathers in South Africa has been constructed as a problem for children of both sexes but more so for boy-children. Arguably the dominant discourse in this respect has demonized non-nuclear, female-headed households. Fathers are constructed as either absent or �bad�. Thus it has become important to explore more closely how male care-givers have been experienced by groups of men in South Africa. This article examines discourses of fatherhood and fatherlessness by drawing on qualitative interviews with a group of 29 men who speak about their reported experiences and understandings of being fathered or growing up without biological fathers. Two major and intertwined subjugated discourses about adult men�s experiences of being fathered that counter- balance the prevailing discourses about meaning of fatherhood and fatherlessness became evident, namely, �being always there� and �talking fatherhood�. The importance of the experience of fatherhood as �being there�, which relates to a quality of time and relationship between child and father rather than physical time together, is illustrated. It is not only biological fathers who can �be there� for their sons but also social fathers, other significant male role models and father figures who step in at different times in participants� lives when biological fathers are unavailable for whatever reason. Second, many positive experiences of fathers or father figures that resist a traditional role of authority and control and subscribe to more nurturant and non-violent forms of care, represented as �talking� fathers, are underlined. If we are to better understand the impact of colonial and apartheid history and its legacy on family life in contemporary society, there is a need for more historically and contextually informed studies on the meaning of fatherhood and fatherlessness. | en_US |
| dc.description.accreditation | Web of Science | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Ratele, K. , et al. (2012). Talking South African fathers: a critical examination of men�s constructions and experiences of fatherhood and fatherlessness. South African Journal of Psychology, 42(4): 553-563 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0081-2463 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/716 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/008124631204200409 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.privacy.showsubmitter | FALSE | |
| dc.publisher | Sage Publications | en_US |
| dc.rights | This is the author's final draft following peer review. It may be displayed and circulated, subject to full acknowledgement of author and source. The published item is copyright Sage Publications. | |
| dc.status.ispeerreviewed | TRUE | |
| dc.subject | Family | en_US |
| dc.subject | Father | en_US |
| dc.subject | Gender | en_US |
| dc.subject | Masculinity | en_US |
| dc.subject | Men | en_US |
| dc.subject | South Africa | en_US |
| dc.subject | Talking fathers | en_US |
| dc.title | Talking South African fathers: a critical examination of men�s constructions and experiences of fatherhood and fatherlessness | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |