The impact of our country’s racial wealth gap has profound implications on South African families, a recent survey found, making it increasingly vital that these inequalities are addressed.
South Africans will be well-versed in the idea of absent fathers who dodge family responsibilities, be they financial, physical or emotional. And while such fathers certainly exist, a recent study has painted a picture of many men who avoid making contact with their children and families “when they are not able to send financial support”.
The recently released State of South Africa’s Fathers 2021 report found that many men defined fatherhood as based purely on providing financially — even if that meant not being “engaged and nurturing fathers”.
The paper by researcher Mandisa Malinga of the University of Cape Town, contained in the study, found that poverty, unemployment and physical absence from home have made co-resident, present and nurturing fatherhood unattainable for many economically marginalised men. These men, through no desire of their own, have to prioritise financial provision over other aspects of fatherhood.
Malinga’s research found that these men “were not able to provide for their children’s and families’ economic needs while at the same time being present and nurturing fathers because they spent most of their time away from home, seeking work”.
“In the interviews, the men revealed that they avoided making contact with their children and families when they were not able to send financial support,” she said.
As a country, we know our brutal apartheid and colonial legacy left long, deep scars. Poverty, property ownership, salaries, skills and employment rates, among a number of other things, are overwhelmingly divided along racial lines, but this latest study shows how this inequality has been brought to bear within families.
Malinga’s research shows that the tension that emerges from the pressures on men first to be economic providers, and men’s inability to provide, creates a further barrier between marginalised men and their families, and disrupts bonds that may facilitate positive parenting between men and their children.
While the idea of the nuclear or traditional family is changing — something that the researchers acknowledge in the study — it is clear many men would like to be more involved in their families’ lives. Having better, more active and more present fathers can only be a good thing.
It is vital that SA recovers financially despite the depressed economy and unacceptably high unemployment rates, not just to ensure more people earn a living and can provide, but also because this will go a long way towards dealing with many other societal challenges that come with absentee fatherhood.
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