Abstract
Given South Africa’s multifaceted social, historical, political, and economic landscape which has contributed towards a relatively high prevalence of father absence, particularly in black families, and the risk of adverse implications for children’s psychosocial development and well-being, the issue of fatherhood and the presence and absence of fathers have been identified as important areas for research. However, the specific differential impact of father absence on the girl child remains a relatively under-researched area. Hence, the aim of the study was to explore the perceived psychosocial impact of father absence during childhood and adolescence on adult women. A case study research design located within a qualitative research approach was employed and 10 adult women aged 18 to 35 years were purposefully recruited from Grobler park, Johannesburg West for participation in the study. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, three participants were interviewed telephonically and seven face-to-face. The research was guided by Mkhize’s (2006) sociocultural psychological tradition and Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the collected data. Among the key findings that emerged was that the women perceived the experience of father absence to have adversely affected their feelings of belonging and sense of identity, with some participants having suffered emotional and financial challenges due to father absence. Participants acknowledged a lack of healthy relationships with other men associated with having grown up with an absent father. While most of the women adopted positive coping strategies, a small number resorted to negative coping. There was also recognition of the important roles that social fathers assume in child-rearing. These findings have important implications for promoting positive father-daughter relations; for amending family policies to protect vulnerable and at-risk families in South Africa; and for further research.
Keywords: father absence; the girl child; psychosocial impact; adult women; biological and social fathers.