Masculinities and fatherhood in a South African context: exploring Xhosa men's experiences of fatherhood and ideas about masculinities

Bongwana, Thembelihle

Masculinities and fatherhood in a South African context: exploring Xhosa men's experiences of fatherhood and ideas about masculinities

Thesis

2013-10

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Gender Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Series

Knowledge Co-op project #99. Fathers as single parents

Abstract

This is a qualitative study that explores meanings around fatherhood among Xhosa fathers in Cape Town. In so doing, the dissertation goes on to explore attitudes, beliefs, and needs of these township fathers have with regards to taking care of their children. This is a descriptive and exploratory qualitative study which was conducted with a sample of 4 Xhosa fathers. Responses around fathering clustered into the following themes: challenging notions of nurturing as women's roles, changing patterns in fatherhood, fatherhood as a process, multiple ways of fathering, communal and familial support structures, and deviation from ‘traditional' norms and ‘traditional' ideas around fathering. The fathers in this study identified a number of benefits and opportunities to being good fathers who were actively involved in their children's lives.