We can't afford a fatherless nation

If families truly thrived and functioned well outside the presence and participation of men in the family structure, would creation and evolution have designed reproduction differently?

From the genesis and formation of life and a biological standpoint, women need to procreate with men to form a fetus. Men can continue to father children throughout their lives, unlike women, who have a limited fertile window. This is because men have continuous production of sperm from puberty. In contrast, women's ability to release eggs decreases significantly with age. Even the features and mannerisms of children when born comprise an offering that comes through the merging of DNA from two lineages.

It seems that the science and creation story provide us with enough evidence to agree that the making of a human being requires critical genetic and relational factors that are solely made available to us by men and fathers in the family structure.

Biology may make fathers indispensable for conception, but what about upbringing? Contemporary data suggests their ongoing presence matters just as much. While children may come into the world through the procreation of two, they ultimately are born into and for a community. The quality of the father is not absent from the contributions and the environment in which the father finds themselves or chooses.

According to the 3rd State of South Africa's Fathers Report (SOSAF 2024), launched in February 2025, in 2023, only 35.6% of South African children lived with their biological fathers in the same household, and 40.3% lived with men who were not their biological fathers (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

The question begs, when not in their homes raising their kids, where are the men, and what of culture and society has condoned this from inside the families of the fathers, their social circles and even places of work and socialisation.

The evolving state of fatherhood in South Africa can leave us grappling to understand the broader shifts affecting the family structure today (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025). Particularly challenging is the growing detachment of biological fathers from their children. Culturally and socially, the family structure has been normalised to be complete and healthy despite the absence and inactive participation of men. What is the implication of this expression of the family dynamic? What kind of children and parents, and society are we shaping into?

Linkage between adolescent moral decay and fatherlessness in First World War countries

Although South Africa's labour migration history differs from the United States suburban flight story, both contexts show the dire consequences of raising children when fathers are not in the home, highlighting what can only be the inevitable in a third world country that often derives its context from the lens of first world countries who are a significant influence in the understanding of culture and socialisation especially in the family structure.

The America First Policy Institute's Fatherlessness 2024 report indicates that the United States has the highest rate of children in single-parent households of any nation in the world.

There are over 18 million Fatherless children in the US. Fathers are absent from approximately 80% of single-parent homes. Fatherless families are four times more likely to live in poverty than married-couple families.

The AFPI report indicates that fatherless children are more likely to abuse drugs and show signs of delinquent behaviour. Children who are from single-parent families are twice as likely to suffer from mental health problems as those living with married parents. In the US, 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. More than 85% of children who exhibit behaviour disorders are from fatherless homes (America First Policy Institute [AFPI], 2024).

Additionally, the report outlines that children living absent their biological father are 2 to 3 times more likely to be expelled or suspended at some time during their schooling career. Girls who feel close to their fathers are 75% less likely to have a teen birth. One study showed girls whose fathers left the home before they were 5 years old were 8 times more likely to become pregnant as adolescents. When children have an actively involved father, they are 33% less likely to drop out of school and 43% more likely to get A's. Children in single-parent homes are more likely to have low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and attempts (America First Policy Institute [AFPI], 2024).

The evolving role of the father in the home

While father absence often co-occurs with economic hardship, multiple studies still find an independent effect even after controlling for income. Globally, the traditional role of the father as the "family provider" has been fundamentally disrupted, despite this no concurrent changes have resulted in gendered social norms, (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

In the State of the World's Fathers survey 2023, a higher percentage of women (85.1%) than men (79.8%) in South Africa reported that they provided financial support to their biological children. Yet, many fathers are not taking up a greater share of caregiving roles as a balanced response to this economic reality. In households where fathers are uninvolved or absent, mothers often carry the dual burden of caregiving and financial provision, which, in many cases, still strains the household resources and impacts children's access to opportunities.

The consequences of fatherlessness are universally shared. In South Africa, studies indicate that a father's poor involvement in care has profound implications for children. Children who grow up without a father's involvement in childcare and support to mothers are more likely to experience economic hardship, poorer educational outcomes, and mental health challenges (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025). The lack of a consistent father figure leaves children without critical emotional support and guidance, increasing their vulnerability to risky behaviours and social isolation consistent with the American reality. This underscores the need for interventions that promote positive fatherhood and ensure that children have access to supportive male role models, whether biological or social fathers (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

State of the World's Fathers Report

Critics quickly point out that poverty, community resources, and structural racism confound father-absence correlations. Studies indicate that men are struggling, even in roles traditionally associated with being a man and a father. Financial provision, long considered a father's primary responsibility, is now an area where men are falling behind.

In the State of the World's Fathers 2023 (SOWF) 2023 survey highlights how a higher percentage of women (85.1%) than men (79.8%) in South Africa reported that they provided financial support to their biological children.

A higher percentage of women (50.2%) than men (44.2%) also reported that they provided financial support to children who are not their biological children. The gap between mothers' and fathers' financial support for children was wide. 69.0% of children aged 7 – 14 received assistance with their educational expenses from their mothers, while only 30.2% of children received assistance from their fathers (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025) . The question we should ask is what new roles are men taking on in care networks as their traditional roles of provider and protector shift and are no longer accessible to many?

Changing the Family dynamic still requires a father figure

According to SOSAF 2024, a comparison of the presence and absence of fathers between 1996 and 2023 indicates that there has been a nine-percentage-point decrease in children living with their biological fathers. This represents a 20% decrease in the proportion of children living with their biological fathers. The study further reports that there has been an eight-percentage-point increase in children living with adult males who are not their biological fathers, which represents a 25% increase in the proportion of children living with adult males who are not their biological fathers. While the proportion of children living with their biological fathers has been steadily decreasing since 1996, the proportion of children living with adult men who are not their biological fathers has been increasing steadily. In 2009 and 2010, the scale tipped over, and, since 2010, a child was more likely to live in the same household with an adult male who was not their biological father than in the same household as their biological father (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

Evolving role

The report also reflects on the presence of fathers in the home and argues that co-residence is not synonymous with fatherhood. Proximity is not the only factor contributing to involvement, and it also does not necessarily account for the quality of involvement (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

At the same time, findings from the study reveal that physical proximity does matter for caregiving. Doing care work and providing direct emotional support, especially to young children, usually requires being physically close to the child (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025). Furthermore, the study reveals that fathers who live with their children are more involved in caregiving, emotional support, and play compared to non-resident fathers. It seems that proximity allows for more spontaneous interactions and daily engagement in tasks like feeding, bathing, and helping with schoolwork (Ratele et al., 2024, released February 2025).

Conclusion

The role of fatherhood in early childhood development is both vital and complex beyond the biological reality. Children require the active presence of their parents in the early years of development. This has significant implications for their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. To realise the full potential of a healthy society, there must be legal and policy measures and a social consensus that insists on creating a culture and reality that reflects the involvement of men and fathers in the home beyond their economic offering. While traditional gender roles, economic constraints, and historical legacies, are evident obstacles, there is increasing recognition of the critical role that fathers play in child development.

Citation

Ratele, K., Van den Berg, W., Malinga, M. & Makusha, T., eds. (2024). State of South Africa's Fathers 2024. Stellenbosch. Tataokhona

https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/fact-sheet-fathers-matter-pass-it-on

Brewer, Jack (2023) "Fatherlessness and its effects on American society". May 15, America First Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.

About the author

Zamayirha Peter is an Advocacy Communications Specialist with over eight (8) years of experience in multimedia journalism and communications. Her passion is using development communications to contribute to the advancement and empowerment of communities, particularly the youth, across the continent and influence global conversations through using strategic communication tools.