Abstract
Families have undergone significant changes over time. This has resulted in an increase in single-parent households. Single mothers have been more popular and dominant in the discourse on single-parent households. However, the increase in divorces and separations has also fostered single-father households. Although single fathers are involved in childcare, their experiences remain understudied. This has contributed to a persisting research gap in single-father households. Thus, this research aimed to explore and describe the psychosocial and economic experiences as well as the coping strategies of single fathers raising their children alone. Underscored by social development theory, this qualitative study employed in-depth interviews to interview eight single fathers to understand their lived experiences as sole parents. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that single fathers are vulnerable to psychological stressors as a result of their life circumstances. Moreover, the parental responsibilities of single fathers hamper their economic opportunities. Developmental social welfare services should be targeted at both single fathers and single mothers to address gender equality regarding parenting. The findings also suggest the need for employers to be considerate of single fathers’ circumstances. Thus, appropriate workplace and labour policies should be elaborated. Such policy developments would enable single fathers to balance and meet work demands and parental responsibilities.