Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period

dc.contributor.advisorMoore, Elena
dc.contributor.authorSamukimba, Jill Chidisha
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-20T08:20:30Z
dc.date.available2026-07-20T08:20:30Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.date.updated2026-07-20T08:18:52Z
dc.description.abstractThis qualitative longitudinal study explores what it takes for non-resident isiXhosa unmarried fathers to be involved and sustain their active involvement in their children's lives over a fiveyear period. To date, few studies in the region have focused on the temporal aspects of fathering and how fathering involvement shifts over time. The thesis presents insight into a longer-term understanding of the fathering experience. By drawing on in-depth interviews with a sample of non-resident fathers, the study maps out how fathering and caregiving is maintained despite the changing socio-economic and relational dynamics. The thesis argues that there are three major elements that non-resident fathers depend on to be involved and sustain their active involvement in their children's lives. Non-resident fathers depend on i) resources in the form of money, space and time, ii) harmonious relationships with social actors involved in gatekeeping their involvement, including biological mothers and grandmothers and iii) a set of beliefs that understand fathering as more than economic provision. The study argues that neither relational aspect, material resources, nor ideological beliefs alone can sustain father involvement. Through deep engagement with the fathers over time, the thesis demonstrates that it is an enduring commitment to all three aspects that sustains father involvement over time.
dc.identifier.apacitationSamukimba, J. C. (2026). <i>Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period</i>. (). University of Cape Town. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationSamukimba, Jill Chidisha. <i>"Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period."</i> ., University of Cape Town, 2026. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationSamukimba, J.C. 2026. Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period. . University of Cape Town. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Samukimba, Jill Chidisha AB - This qualitative longitudinal study explores what it takes for non-resident isiXhosa unmarried fathers to be involved and sustain their active involvement in their children's lives over a fiveyear period. To date, few studies in the region have focused on the temporal aspects of fathering and how fathering involvement shifts over time. The thesis presents insight into a longer-term understanding of the fathering experience. By drawing on in-depth interviews with a sample of non-resident fathers, the study maps out how fathering and caregiving is maintained despite the changing socio-economic and relational dynamics. The thesis argues that there are three major elements that non-resident fathers depend on to be involved and sustain their active involvement in their children's lives. Non-resident fathers depend on i) resources in the form of money, space and time, ii) harmonious relationships with social actors involved in gatekeeping their involvement, including biological mothers and grandmothers and iii) a set of beliefs that understand fathering as more than economic provision. The study argues that neither relational aspect, material resources, nor ideological beliefs alone can sustain father involvement. Through deep engagement with the fathers over time, the thesis demonstrates that it is an enduring commitment to all three aspects that sustains father involvement over time. DA - 2026 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - non-resident fatherhood KW - responsible fathering KW - father involvement KW - co-parenting KW - South Africa LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2026 T1 - Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period TI - Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationSamukimba JC. Sustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period. []. University of Cape Town, 2026 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43612en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisherUniversity of Cape Town
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Sociology
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectnon-resident fatherhood
dc.subjectresponsible fathering
dc.subjectfather involvement
dc.subjectco-parenting
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.titleSustaining father involvement: exploring non-resident fathers' sustained involvement in their children's lives over a 5-year period
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationlevelPhD
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