Fathers’ experiences of parental care after divorce

Abstract

This narrative study explores the terrain of South African fathers’ experiences of parental care after divorce. A war metaphor enabled the writing of this narrative. I began the expedition with surveying the terrain in which fathers fight for their parental rights. The map takes us to the political, social and statistical arenas which converge to make for a complex picture for fathers to exercise their parental rights and responsibilities in the aftermath of divorce. The journey continues with a visit to the “war” archives, where existing literature on fatherhood is critically explored. The scope and importance of fatherhood is debated from divergent camps, and the South African legal context in which fathers find themselves is examined. The journey concludes with a qualitative reading in to the narratives of three participants, where an attempt was made at not only gaining more insight in to three fathers’ experiences of parental care following divorce, but to begin to contribute to a desolate literature on this subject.