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Abstract

The impact of parents on their children, especially in the developmental years, must not be undermined. Each parent influences a child separately and in different ways, which may have long-lasting effects on adulthood. Paternal involvement in children’s lives plays a different but crucial role that leads to improved behavioural and psychosocial outcomes. This study identifies and explores the need for fathers as role models to aid family and social cohesion in resource-constrained contexts. Individuals older than 18 years were interviewed from four different communities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Interviews were conducted in English, Afrikaans, and IsiXhosa depending on the preference of the interviewee. Using a purposive sampling qualitative approach, data were obtained through in-depth interviews with parents and stakeholders. A relationship was found between unemployment, poverty, and a father’s involvement in a child's upbringing. This work offers practical approaches to help understand the role of fathers in advancing social cohesion in terms of children’s development and future outcomes.

Key Take Away Points

  • The absence of fathers in the community as protectors and guardians of the youth.
  • Unemployment limiting financial provision.
  • Need for fathers’ financial provision for material needs for their children.
  • Role modelling/motivation by fathers.

Author Biography

Tolulope Victoria Balogun is a Lecturer and an Interdisciplinary Researcher at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. She holds a PhD in Industrial Psychology and a Master's degree in Managerial Psychology. She undertook her Postdoctoral research at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Family and Society, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape. Her research areas at the moment include Leadership, E-leadership, Work engagement, Turnover Intention, and Social and Family Cohesion. She is driven by a continuous improvement of personal self-worth and consistent value creation in others. She is an awardee of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Leoba Nyathi is a Junior Research Fellow in the Gender Health and Justice Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. She holds a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Gender Studies from the University of Venda, South Africa. Before joining the UCT, she was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Western Cape focusing on the contribution of the Family to Social cohesion. She is interested in Interdisciplinary research, which is evident in some of her publications and collaboration. Leoba’s research interests include issues of gender-based violence, health promotion, women empowerment and social cohesion. She is a part of various committees, which include the Trauma Advocacy Group (UCT), Transformation and Equity Committee and Faculty Culture Sub-Committee (UCT), and the Provincial “Evidence Advisory Committee” (Western Cape). She is also a reviewer for various journals focusing on gender issues. Leoba appreciates the research field and its contribution to the betterment of societies. Kezia October is a Registered Research Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and a PhD student in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a Master’s Degree in Research Psychology. Her research focuses on family and social cohesion. Kezia has worked on several research projects at the University of the Western Cape, including the Children’s Worlds: The International Survey of Children’s Well-Being (ISCWeB) and the SARChI Chair in Development of Human Capabilities and Social Cohesion through the Family. Her research interests centre on family resilience, family cohesion, child well-being and social cohesion. She is also a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Athandiwe Skhuni is a student at the University of the Western Cape. She holds an Honour’s degree in Public Administration and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Her research interests include social justice, social cohesion, public policy and economics. Professor Nicolette Roman has a PhD in Psychology, and currently holds the position of Senior Professor as a South African Research Chair in the Development of Human Capabilities and Social Cohesion through the Family in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, at the University of the Western Cape. She is also the Principle Investigator for growing the niche area of Early Childhood Development at the University of the Western Cape. More recently, she was appointed as a Visiting Professor at Huddersfield University in the UK. She has achieved many awards for research excellence. Professor Roman’s research focuses on the parent-child relationship, strengthening capable families in order to reduce the transference of capability deprivation to children and enhance social cohesion. She has published and presented her research both locally and internationally Professor Roman has grown the critical mass in family science in South Africa and founded the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences at UWC. She is a partner on international research consortiums and a strong proponent of academic development, mentoring, and coaching locally and internationally.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements This study was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation (118581, 115460 and 118551). The funding source had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Declaration Of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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