Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power
Non-resident fathers are rarely researched from a critical perspective. Becoming a non-resident father often results in major dislocation, presenting challenges and hindrances to a meaningful relationship with children. Dislocation is increased by the involvement of the family court, legal issues, f...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/478 |
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| author | Dominic Violi Peter Lewis Cannas Kwok Nathan J. Wilson |
| author_facet | Dominic Violi Peter Lewis Cannas Kwok Nathan J. Wilson |
| author_sort | Dominic Violi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-resident fathers are rarely researched from a critical perspective. Becoming a non-resident father often results in major dislocation, presenting challenges and hindrances to a meaningful relationship with children. Dislocation is increased by the involvement of the family court, legal issues, false abuse allegations, and ex-partners. Changing family configurations may marginalize non-resident fathers, with their own perspectives, voices, and lack of power remaining largely unmapped. This paper identifies what hinders non-resident fathers’ relationships with their children from a critical and Australian perspective. In-depth interviews using open-ended questions with 19 non-resident fathers were used to collect data, followed by a five-step critical thematic analysis to focus on the locus of power. Non-resident fathers’ perceptions included a lack of agency and decision-making power; the mother, legal obstacles, and agencies hindered their desired relationships with children. Hindrances were magnified by descriptions of false allegations and IPV from the ex-partner and/or her agents, resulting in a sense of marginalization, silencing, and disempowerment. Australian non-resident fathers in this study identified that desired relationships with their children were hindered by the roles of legal and welfare services, policing, and their ex-partners. The highlighting of these issues points to ways that non-resident fathers with similar experiences of a lack of agency and decision-making power might be better supported by more streamlined and balanced legal processes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c8f18771ef64492694be0fcc007e2421 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-c8f18771ef64492694be0fcc007e24212025-08-20T01:55:52ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602024-09-0113947810.3390/socsci13090478Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on PowerDominic Violi0Peter Lewis1Cannas Kwok2Nathan J. Wilson3School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 3, Richmond, NSW 2753, AustraliaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 3, Richmond, NSW 2753, AustraliaSchool of Nursing, Paramedics and Healthcare Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, AustraliaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Locked Bag 3, Richmond, NSW 2753, AustraliaNon-resident fathers are rarely researched from a critical perspective. Becoming a non-resident father often results in major dislocation, presenting challenges and hindrances to a meaningful relationship with children. Dislocation is increased by the involvement of the family court, legal issues, false abuse allegations, and ex-partners. Changing family configurations may marginalize non-resident fathers, with their own perspectives, voices, and lack of power remaining largely unmapped. This paper identifies what hinders non-resident fathers’ relationships with their children from a critical and Australian perspective. In-depth interviews using open-ended questions with 19 non-resident fathers were used to collect data, followed by a five-step critical thematic analysis to focus on the locus of power. Non-resident fathers’ perceptions included a lack of agency and decision-making power; the mother, legal obstacles, and agencies hindered their desired relationships with children. Hindrances were magnified by descriptions of false allegations and IPV from the ex-partner and/or her agents, resulting in a sense of marginalization, silencing, and disempowerment. Australian non-resident fathers in this study identified that desired relationships with their children were hindered by the roles of legal and welfare services, policing, and their ex-partners. The highlighting of these issues points to ways that non-resident fathers with similar experiences of a lack of agency and decision-making power might be better supported by more streamlined and balanced legal processes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/478non-resident fathersmarginalizationagencyhindrancesdisempowermentmasculinity |
| spellingShingle | Dominic Violi Peter Lewis Cannas Kwok Nathan J. Wilson Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power Social Sciences non-resident fathers marginalization agency hindrances disempowerment masculinity |
| title | Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power |
| title_full | Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power |
| title_fullStr | Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power |
| title_full_unstemmed | Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power |
| title_short | Australian Non-Resident Fathers’ Relationship and Ongoing Engagement with Their Children: A Critical Focus on Power |
| title_sort | australian non resident fathers relationship and ongoing engagement with their children a critical focus on power |
| topic | non-resident fathers marginalization agency hindrances disempowerment masculinity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/478 |
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