Young unmarried fathers in the Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality

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Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Social Work, , course: Social Work, language: English, abstract: South Africa has a high number of unmarried and absentee fathers which includes young unmarried fathers. A number of factors have contributed to this phenomenon. For example, apartheid policies such as the migrant labour system has impacted on family structure. In addition, legislation which did not give any unmarried fathers automatic responsibilities and rights in respect of their children may have contributed towards the rate of absentee fathers. The new Children’s Act, which came into force in 2010 now provides for automatic responsibilities and rights for unmarried fathers who meet certain criteria. Unmarried fathers who have consented to be identified as the father and who have paid maintenance and cultural damages may now automatically acquire parental responsibilities and rights. This has the potential to significantly influence father-child relationshipsThis research is based on a qualitative research study focussing on young unmarried fathers’ experiences and perceptions of fatherhood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine fathers in KwaZulu-Natal. The participants had a total of fifteen children, four of whom lived with their fathers and paternal families. Findings indicated that high unemployment, non-payment of maintenance and cultural damages, and disputes with mothers and maternal families impacted significantly on father-child contact. All the participants wished to be more involved with their children and their conception of fatherhood extended beyond being just a provider to more nurturing roles. Keywords: young unmarried fathers, perceptions of fatherhood, experiences of fatherhood