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 foetus. Men can continue to father children throughout their lives, unlike women, who have a limited fertile window.. 

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.   

Link between adolescent moral decay and fatherlessness in First World 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 ( AFPI) 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

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). 

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. 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.

Zamayirha Peter is an Advocacy Communications Specialist with over eight (8) years of experience in multimedia journalism and communications.