Absence of fathers leaves lasting scars on children

There’s a saying that “a father’s love is the fuel that empowers a child’s dreams”.

Growing up without a father in the household can lead to a number of challenges, including financial difficulties, confidence issues and emotional problems.

Having no father, especially if they don’t contribute financially to the child’s welfare, will only put more of a burden on the mother and other family members.

According to the State of South African Fathers 2024 report released last week by Stellenbosch University, “four out of every 10 children do not live with their biological fathers in South Africa”, while “one in every four children live in homes without any adult men present”.

Kopano Ratele, co-author of the report and a researcher at the Tataokhona Project at Stellenbosch University, said: “This reality – under-parented or unparented children – has profound psychological, social and economic consequences.”

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A State of the World’s Fathers 2023 survey revealed that “85.1% of women reported financially supporting their biological children, compared to 79.8% of men”.

It also highlighted that “50.2% of women provided financial support to children who were not their biological children, compared to 44.2% of men”.

Peter Mathebula, a civil society activist, said: “High unemployment and financial stress often force fathers to leave their families in search of work and in many cases, they disengage due to feelings of inadequacy.”

“Absent fatherhood becomes a cycle – boys who grow up without fathers often struggle to become present and involved fathers themselves.”

Fathers play such an important role in a child’s life – from a young age until after school and beyond. We need fathers that are involved in their children’s lives.

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