"A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town

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dc.contributor.advisorKaminer, Debbieen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorHelman, Rebeccaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-10T06:47:06Z
dc.date.available2015-08-10T06:47:06Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn light of research which suggests that father involvement is associated with positive outcomes for children, including emotional, social and financial benefits, the high rate of father absence in South Africa has been interpreted as a ‘crisis’ of fatherhood (Ratele, Shefer, & Clowes, 2012). However, there is a lack of research that explores fathering and fatherhood from the perspective of South African children. This study aimed to investigate the ways in which a group of nine female and five male adolescents in an urban, low-income community of Cape Town discursively construct the roles and responsibilities of fathers in their community. Using Photovoice methodology, participants produced photographs of ‘fathering in my community’ and then participated in a photo-elicitation interview. The interview transcripts were subjected to a discourse analysis to identify discursive constructions of fatherhood. Consistent with previous research which has been conducted with fathers, participants drew on hegemonic discourses which positioned fathers as financial providers and protectors, and mothers as ‘natural’ care-givers and nurturers. Fathers were predominantly represented as failing to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. However, there were also instances in which participants resisted these dominant discourses through drawing on a discourse of ‘involved’ fathering which positioned fathers as nurturers and carers. Participants also discursively constructed a form of non-biological ‘social father’ who could fulfil some fathering roles. In light of these findings it appears that there is a need to challenge rigid and inflexible hegemonic constructions of fathering (and masculinity more generally), and to elaborate contesting versions of fatherhood, in order to make alternative, more fluid subject positions available to men as fathers.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationHelman, R. (2015). <i>"A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13693en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationHelman, Rebecca. <i>""A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13693en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHelman, R. 2015. "A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Helman, Rebecca AB - In light of research which suggests that father involvement is associated with positive outcomes for children, including emotional, social and financial benefits, the high rate of father absence in South Africa has been interpreted as a ‘crisis’ of fatherhood (Ratele, Shefer, & Clowes, 2012). However, there is a lack of research that explores fathering and fatherhood from the perspective of South African children. This study aimed to investigate the ways in which a group of nine female and five male adolescents in an urban, low-income community of Cape Town discursively construct the roles and responsibilities of fathers in their community. Using Photovoice methodology, participants produced photographs of ‘fathering in my community’ and then participated in a photo-elicitation interview. The interview transcripts were subjected to a discourse analysis to identify discursive constructions of fatherhood. Consistent with previous research which has been conducted with fathers, participants drew on hegemonic discourses which positioned fathers as financial providers and protectors, and mothers as ‘natural’ care-givers and nurturers. Fathers were predominantly represented as failing to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. However, there were also instances in which participants resisted these dominant discourses through drawing on a discourse of ‘involved’ fathering which positioned fathers as nurturers and carers. Participants also discursively constructed a form of non-biological ‘social father’ who could fulfil some fathering roles. In light of these findings it appears that there is a need to challenge rigid and inflexible hegemonic constructions of fathering (and masculinity more generally), and to elaborate contesting versions of fatherhood, in order to make alternative, more fluid subject positions available to men as fathers. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - "A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town TI - "A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13693 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13693
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationHelman R. "A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Town. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13693en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherPsychological Researchen_ZA
dc.title"A father doesn’t just have to pay the bills and be all manly" : constructions of fathering among adolescents in a low-income, high violence community in Cape Townen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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