Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents

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dc.contributor.advisorKaminer, Debbieen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMalherbe, Nicken_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-12T09:45:40Z
dc.date.available2016-04-12T09:45:40Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical referencesen_ZA
dc.description.abstractMass media as well as academic literature frequently refer to the high prevalence of paternal non-residence in South Africa as a 'crisis of fatherhood'. To interrogate this apparent 'crisis', this study explored how Xhosa-speaking adolescents - whose voices have been predominantly ignored in fathering literature - discursively construct fathers and fathering. Using Photovoice methodology, semi-structured photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with 17 male and female adolescents. These interviews explored fathering practices, the duty of the father, and the different kinds of fathers or fathering forms available in their community. The interviews were then analysed through discourse analysis. It was found that participants drew on eight interpretive repertoires, namely: Fatherhood as a Choice, Gendered Parenting, Maternalism as Natural Parenting, Fragmented Fatherhood, Inactive Fathering, Provider and Childrearer, Essential Father Versus the Important Father, and Collective Enterprise of Fathering. What emerged from the data was a fragmented, agentic conceptualisation of the father, who was expected to embody both 'new' and traditional parenting to varying degrees. Fathering, as well as mothering, was constructed as being performed along gendered lines, with 'good fathering' taking on an overtly active form. The discourse established the father as a secondary parent to the mother, and although biological fathering was prized over social fathering, the community father - a particular kind of social father who channels paternal energy into community concerns - was valued in a similar manner to the 'essential' or biological father. With little or vague rationalisation given to the biological father's 'specialness', the results of this study seem to indicate that the crisis of fathering is a product of a hyper-idealistic, gendered, classist conceptualisation of the nuclear family as an essential family form. The notion of the nuclear family as normative and desirable acts to limit appreciated forms of fathering to material provision, and may contribute to children feeling that they do not have a father, despite receiving adequate social fathering. Implications of these findings for future research, and for family intervention programmes in the South African context, are discussed.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMalherbe, N. (2015). <i>Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18807en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMalherbe, Nick. <i>"Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18807en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMalherbe, N. 2015. Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Malherbe, Nick AB - Mass media as well as academic literature frequently refer to the high prevalence of paternal non-residence in South Africa as a 'crisis of fatherhood'. To interrogate this apparent 'crisis', this study explored how Xhosa-speaking adolescents - whose voices have been predominantly ignored in fathering literature - discursively construct fathers and fathering. Using Photovoice methodology, semi-structured photo-elicitation interviews were conducted with 17 male and female adolescents. These interviews explored fathering practices, the duty of the father, and the different kinds of fathers or fathering forms available in their community. The interviews were then analysed through discourse analysis. It was found that participants drew on eight interpretive repertoires, namely: Fatherhood as a Choice, Gendered Parenting, Maternalism as Natural Parenting, Fragmented Fatherhood, Inactive Fathering, Provider and Childrearer, Essential Father Versus the Important Father, and Collective Enterprise of Fathering. What emerged from the data was a fragmented, agentic conceptualisation of the father, who was expected to embody both 'new' and traditional parenting to varying degrees. Fathering, as well as mothering, was constructed as being performed along gendered lines, with 'good fathering' taking on an overtly active form. The discourse established the father as a secondary parent to the mother, and although biological fathering was prized over social fathering, the community father - a particular kind of social father who channels paternal energy into community concerns - was valued in a similar manner to the 'essential' or biological father. With little or vague rationalisation given to the biological father's 'specialness', the results of this study seem to indicate that the crisis of fathering is a product of a hyper-idealistic, gendered, classist conceptualisation of the nuclear family as an essential family form. The notion of the nuclear family as normative and desirable acts to limit appreciated forms of fathering to material provision, and may contribute to children feeling that they do not have a father, despite receiving adequate social fathering. Implications of these findings for future research, and for family intervention programmes in the South African context, are discussed. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents TI - Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18807 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/18807
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMalherbe N. Interrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescents. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18807en_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.otherPsychologyen_ZA
dc.titleInterrogating the 'crisis of fatherhood' : discursive constructions of fathers amongst peri-urban Xhosa-speaking adolescentsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMSocScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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