The results in this study focus on mothers and grandmothers’ perceptions of fathers’ provision of care in relation to nutritional care. There were five themes identified, with each having either two to three sub-themes. Key parts of these findings focused on parental care in general - how mothers perceived care by fathers, healthy diets, as well as resources for nutritional support for mothers. The participants were vocal in the interviews, with some highlighting the effect of gangsterism and drugs on their family environment. Through their participation in the current study, two primary caregivers received information for social services in the area that could provide support to the families.
The perception of care
The results show that all 10 participants were able to provide a thorough understanding of what constitutes adequate care for children. Two mothers reported:
“I provide the children with attention, food and clothing. I ask them questions about their day and what is happening in their lives. Take care of them when they are sick, sing songs with them. Do activities with them.”
(Mother: age 39, Participant 3, three children - ages 7, 10, 16 years old, father unemployed but at home.)
“Supporting him on different levels: financial support, social support, emotional support, listening to him, sitting down when he needs to talk to me. Not just him, but all my children. One also needs to build trust with your children so that they are able to have freedom to come and speak to you.”
(Mother: age 48, Participant 9, five children - ages 14, 19, 21, 25, and 28 years old.)
Similar responses were received from all participants. It was commonly stated that food, shelter and clothing was part of care. However, only one mother expressed that love was part of caring for their child. Barriers to the provision of good care were also noted, including money, the environment, or needing to raise the children alone.
“Stress about money, them getting into drugs or the wrong friends. All these things keep you awake at night.”
(Caregiver (grandmother): age 65, Participant 5, six children - ages 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, and 21 years old, different fathers who are drug addicts, only one mother of 2 of the children is present but she is unemployed, all other mothers are not in the household.)
“Difficulty is not letting them play outside because of the area in which they stay, allowing them to have the freedom to walk to the shop and not to have to worry about them getting hurt, and shot or into gangsterism.”
(Grandmother: age 57, Diabetic, Participant 10, seven children - ages 5, 7, 10, 12, 15 , 17, and 21 years old, parents drug addicts, only one mother of 2 of the children is present)
“Since her father has passed, she does not want to really focus on her schoolwork - almost like she has become lazy with her school work which has made it a little difficult. We shout and argue all the time. Shame she is also very big for her age, she is even heavier than me. Her father used to spoil her alot as the baby and give her a lot of luxuries.”
(Mother: age 48, Participant 9, five children - ages 14, 19, 21, 25, and 28 years old.)
Father's involvement in care and nutritional provision
Participants reported that fathers’ involvement in providing nutritional care and support for their children was limited. This is due to many of the fathers being unemployed or not living with the children. When this occurred, they did not make any provisions for financial support. This lack of financial support often means that mothers and grandmothers need to borrow money or go to bed hungry, which had occurred more than once in the last 6 months of the interviews being conducted. Some participants highlighted food insecurity in the communities as an everyday reality. Other participants became emotional and angry when speaking of the lack of support from the fathers.
“No child support. There is no role of the father being fulfilled. He is not there where the son stays. The son lives with his grandmother, so I send money to her. He just left us all and I couldn’t have all the children, so I sent my son to live with his grandmother. But I still send money for his food.”
(Mother: age 30, Participant 4, two children - ages 5 and 10 years old.)
“There is no money at times, he is not working so we have gone to other family members or somebody, we try and make a plan. Sometimes if there is not enough, we will go without as long as the children eat something and not go to bed hungry. But there were times when we had nothing to eat because we did not have any work and we couldn't ask any more people. I felt bad. The children eat at school in the morning at the feeding scheme. I just eat what I get, or eat a packet of cheap biscuits with tea, as long as the children eat a meal.
But everyone is suffering and always saying there is no food or just a little in the house, there are so many people in the area borrowing money and food that at the end of the month you have to pay so much back to those you borrowed you have to borrow again. I do not even know where some of the children’s fathers are. So maybe they do not care.”
(Grandmother: age 57, diabetic, Participant 10, seven children - ages 7, 10, 12, 15 , 17 and 21 years old.)
One mother noted that her husband, although unemployed, cooked and did the household shopping while she went to work as a street cleaner.
“My husband is not working so it is almost like he is standing in for me at home. I feel like I need to emotionally support everyone in the house, as they all come to me for everything. He takes care of the house work and cleaning while I go to work so it is like we changed roles for the last few months but you can see it is taking its effect on him, as he always used to provide for the family. Now my husband buys the food, but not really a big shop, not a monthly shop. Just when there is something that is needed at the corner shop. There is not really money for a big shop.”
(Mother: age 39, Participant 6, three children - ages 7, 10 and 16 years old. )
Another mother noted that the father was unemployed but did make an effort to find food and care for them if the monthly contribution she brought home was not enough for their basic nutritional needs.
“Their father is in the house, but he does not work now. And so I am the only one who is working. I make about R750 a month which does not stretch very far into the month. The father makes sure that if there is no food in the house that he goes out and looks to borrow or ask somebody else so that the children can eat. He enforces the discipline in the house. He is caring to the needs of the family and I think at this point he is a little depressed as he has been trying to find work.”
(Mother: age 39, diabetic, Participant 2 , seven children - ages 3, 6, 10, 13, 19, and 22 years old, all living at home. )
Father’s present but not involved
The notion that fathers need to be supportive and discipline their children in order to instil work ethic and provide encouragement for their children to function well at school was commonly highlighted by mothers and grandmothers.
“Not really supportive fathering or loving at times. Don't recall the father sitting with his son many times, as he would get very angry with him for not being able to grasp things quickly. My husband is at home, he is a father but, provides the money for physical things. He just orders the children around to do things he wants them to do. Our son is forever in trouble at school and then I always have to go.”
(Mother: age 42, Participant 1, two children - ages 10 and 16 years old.)
“There is no role of the father being fulfilled he is not there where the son stays. The son lives with his grandmother, so I send money to her.”
(Mother: age 30, Participant 4, two children - ages 5 and 10 years old.)
Capacity building and nutritional understanding of mothers and primary caregivers
With respect to what food the mothers and grandmothers provide for their children, many indicated there was a need to understand what is healthy. Participants wanted to know how to cook on a limited budget while still make sure their children are getting enough nutrients. The majority of the women interviewed claimed to assume a primary, if not complete responsibility, for managing their family’s diet. This included budgeting meals, shopping, preparing and serving meals. Within the participant group, the children’s weight seemed to be within the healthy range. However, the mothers and caregivers were suffering from diseases and many were obese. As research has indicated, this could have a future effect on their children, who may end up with similar weight and health problems. Some of the challenges the parents and caregivers face when it comes to eating healthily are shown below:
“How to feed children, because you can make the food but then they do not want to eat what is healthy. I am diabetic and the hospital they gave me a list of what to eat. I cannot buy all those things. It will be too expensive so I try to buy some of the things, then we can all eat healthy but they do not want to eat a lot of veg. They say it doesn't taste nice. Maybe I need to know how to make it differently. Classes where you learn, not just pieces of paper that you throw away. How do I as a diabetic buy good food if it is so expensive.”
(Grandmother: age 57, diabetic, Participant 10, seven children - ages 7, 10, 12, 15 , 17 and 21 years old.)
“How to make good healthy food choices and why. But also a course for everyone in the family so the children also understand why they are being given the food they are given. It is maybe important to know when to buy foods in season and the quantity of food to buy for a family and how then to make sure they are eating enough or too little”
(Mother: age 30, Participant 4, two children - ages 5 and 10 years old).
“Yes, I dish the food and also say they can have a little first and if they finish it and want more, they can have so that we do not waste. I eat whatever there is left or just a lot of white bread and coffee, but I take my medication for my diabetes.
(Mother: age 39, diabetic, Participant 2, seven children - ages 3, 6, 10,12, 14, 19, and 22 years old, all living at home).
Given that women are the primary managers of children's diets, health and weight, their articulations of men's contributions to food provision offer crucial insights into the power dynamics that produce and sustain the gendered responsibilities of nutritional care work in the family (28).