This thesis explored the fathering practices of precariously employed African men with the
study objectives including understanding: (1) how precariously employed men construct
fatherhood; (2) the fathering practices considered important to them; (3) in what way precarious
employment impacts on their fathering practices; and (4) how precariously employed men
negotiate between their children’s economic as well as socio-emotional needs.
This research focused particularly on the experiences of roadside work-seekers in
Parow, Cape Town, seeking to understand how they construct fatherhood within their
precarious working conditions. What these men think about fatherhood is important
particularly in South Africa where not only unemployment is high, but also the rates of children
growing up without their fathers.