Paternal deprivation, father-hunger, and implications for social work : narratives of four schoolchildren from impoverished households in South Africa

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study that probed factors affecting the everyday lives of children living in poverty. The research participants were purposively selected teenage children from the rural King Cetshwayo District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A combination of story accounts and semi-structured interviews from the selected participants were thematically analysed. The findings prove that children living in low-income families carry numerous emotional and psychological burdens, most of which are invisible to outsiders. Among the selected participants, the most profound burden was the absence of biological fathers. The study particularly revealed how experiences of grief and trauma associated with paternal loss adversely affect children’s thoughts and self-perceptions. It draws attention to how children navigate these burdens in isolation. The research found that children burdened by losing a biological father may be better emotionally and psychologically supported cohesively within their immediate households, schools, and communities. To support such children, the findings highlight a dire need for an Ubuntu approach towards social work interventions in poverty-stricken communities. Hence, this paper agitates for government-appointed officials, community leaders, and community-based non-governmental and non-profit organisations, to work collaboratively in impoverished communities, and address the emotional poverty silently endured among children.