In a recent chapter on the role of fathers in the lives of children in sub-Saharan Africa, Rabie and colleagues have shown that research across cultures demonstrates the profound impact of fathers’ involvement on children, including their physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural development. Significant barriers to positive fatherhood stem from social upheavals and in many cases cultural conceptions of the role of fathers. For example, the migrant labour system in South Africa has denied many fathers from the possibility of being closely involved in their children’s upbringing, while for those excluded from the economy, unemployment leads to poverty and significant personal and social adversity.  Despite these barriers, we know that fathers value their role as fathers, and are invested in their families, as evidenced for example, by the substantial flow of salary remittances.

The authors challenge society, including our healthcare system, to create an encouraging environment for fatherhood. Recommendations from their review of the research:

  • Father engagement can be promoted by encouraging equitable gender roles in child rearing;
  • As is often already occurring, in places where family is part of a wider, yet close-knit community, fatherhood roles may also be played by a range of male figures such as uncles and grandfathers;
  • include more men in family healthcare services and programmes;
  • Create opportunities to involve fathers from early in the lives of their children.

Finally, the authors acknowledge that we have much to learn, in particular in terms of policy development sensitive to cultural context.

Link to the original chapter by Stephan Rabie, Sarah Skeen and Mark Tomlinson

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_27

 

Rabie S., Skeen S., Tomlinson M. (2020) Fatherhood and Early Childhood Development: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Fitzgerald H.E., von Klitzing K., Cabrera N.J., Scarano de Mendonça J., Skjøthaug T. (eds) Handbook of Fathers and Child Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_27