RESEARCH ARTICLE
Experiences of Black South African Single Fathers
Tshisuaka E. Kabongo1, *, Langa Malose1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2023Volume: 16
E-location ID: e187435012303020
Publisher ID: e187435012303020
DOI: 10.2174/18743501-v16-e230414-2022-90
Article History:
Received Date: 21/9/2022Revision Received Date: 24/1/2023
Acceptance Date: 26/01/2023
Electronic publication date: 17/04/2023
Collection year: 2023
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective:
This study aimed to bridge the gap in the literature on parenting by investigating the experiences of Black single fathers living in Johannesburg, who raise children on their own.
Methods:
Social constructivism and critical theory served as theoretical frameworks, while narrative interviews were used to collect data. The study involved seven Black male participants, who were selected using a snowball sampling method. Dialogical analysis and Bamberg’s little story approach were used to analyse the data collected.
Results:
Two themes emerged from the thematic analysis: parenting as a single father and life beyond single fatherhood. The study’s objectives were integrated into the discussion of themes and subthemes that emerged.
Conclusion:
The study results revealed that, contrary to the common narrative, not all Black fathers are absent. In addition, it pointed to the fact that single fathers are also capable of being effective parents. However, it was discovered that children benefit the most from the active involvement of both parental figures. Implications for these findings and recommendations for future studies were also discussed.
