Heartlines study on fatherhood in South Africa: 'It's complicated'

The South African nuclear family is largely a myth and worryingly large numbers of children are being raised without their biological fathers, reports Heartlines, the Centre for Values Promotion.

Their ground-breaking research on fatherhood in South Africa, conducted to inform a broader social cohesion campaign, has shed new light on the state of fatherhood in our country.

And, it's complicated.

While many children, raised by single mothers, grow up and thrive for many others the absence of a positive and active presence of men in their lives puts them at risk. These fatherless children are deprived of the physical and emotional security that an involved father brings to the family dynamic.