“Being a father”: constructions of fatherhood by men with absent fathers

Abstract

Family dynamics and parenting styles are influential on children's wellbeing (Walsh, 2016). Additionally, childhood experiences and how an individual experienced being parented can impact on how individuals as mothers and fathers choose to parent their own children (Herland, Hauge, & Helgeland, 2015). However, growing up in a home with an absent parent may create challenges associated with parenting for individuals, due to not having these experiences themselves. Therefore, the article reports findings on men who grew up in a father absent household and how their experiences influenced their understanding of fatherhood and becoming a father. Twenty-one men participated in this qualitative study. Findings revealed that although men felt unprepared for fatherhood they attempted to learn to be a father and expressed the importance of not wanting their children to experience father absence. The study findings provide important insights in the provision of support for fathers who have experienced father absence.

The Effect of Family Education Program on Paternity Role and Children's Play Skills

“…It was observed that fathers who gain fatherhood skills depending on social and familial expectations are aware of the things they like about and challenges of fatherhood. It was put forward that family education programs that support fathers help in creating the desired and ideal father role depending on the expectations of the society and in diminishing the problems experienced in fatherhood skills (East, Hutchinson, Power, and Jackson, 2018). In a study conducted with fathers who have children in the preschool period, their perceptions of fatherhood and lifelong learning were assessed.…”

Transição para a paternidade no período pré-natal: um estudo qualitativo

“…This reflection on childhood constitutes a normal reaction to imminent fatherhood and allows solidifying the mental self-image of the type of father the man intends to become 6 . It favors the psychological adjustment to the father role and will influence the future parental style [23][24][25] . The construction of one's identity as a father involves a complex subjective, conscious and unconscious work, of dealing with the legacies received from their own father and deciding whether to transmit them to their children 25,26 .…”

Lived experiences of adolescent boys with absent fathers

“…The social fabric that builds communities and ties families together comes into play when the need for other male role models arises to bridge the gap of absent fathers to navigate adolescent boys to some degree of acceptable ways of life. In their study on constructions of fatherhood by men with absent fathers, East, Hutchinson, Power and Jackson (2020) found that men who grew up with absent fathers drew examples of fatherhood from male relatives such as grandfathers and uncles as well as from observing their friends interacting with their fathers. The role played by uncles, older men, male pastors and brothers within the immediate environment where these boys live is key in ensuring that boys learn acceptable male roles and are able to satisfy the need to belong.…”