Fatherhood in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: An Examination of Barriers and Opportunities to Strengthen the Male Parenting Role

Lyndon Reilly · Susan J. Rees

41 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Men s Health

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Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights Family Dynamics and Relationships Gender Roles and Identity Studies

Abstract

Traditional Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies value men's role as parents; however, the importance of promoting fatherhood as a key social determinant of men's well-being has not been fully appreciated in Western medicine. To strengthen the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male parenting role, it is vital to examine current barriers and opportunities. The first author (a male Aboriginal health project officer) conducted yarning sessions in three remote Australian communities, two being Aboriginal, the other having a high Aboriginal population. An expert sample of 25 Aboriginal and 6 non-Aboriginal stakeholders, including maternal and child health workers and men's group facilitators, considered barriers and opportunities to improve men's parenting knowledge and role, with an aim to inform services and practices intended to support men's parenting. A specific aim was to shape an existing men's group program known as Strong Fathers, Strong Families. A thematic analysis of data from the project identified barriers and opportunities to support men's role as parents. Challenges included the transition from traditional to contemporary parenting practices and low level of cultural and male gender sensitivity in maternal and child health services. Services need to better understand and focus on men's psychological empowerment and to address shame and lack of confidence around parenting. Poor literacy and numeracy are viewed as contributing to disempowerment. Communities need to champion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male father role models. Biases and barriers should be addressed to improve service delivery and better enable men to become empowered and confident fathers.

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References

2007Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups 2010Yarning About Yarning as a Legitimate Method in Indigenous Research 2000Fatherhood in the Twenty-First Century 2014Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice 2015Sampling in Qualitative Research: Insights from an Overview of the Methods Literature 2014Practitioner Review: Engaging fathers – recommendations for a game change in parenting interventions based on a systematic review of the global evidence 2012Cultural Approaches to Parenting 2013Yarning/Aboriginal storytelling: Towards an understanding of an Indigenous perspective and its implications for research practice

Cited by

2019“Anybody can make kids; it takes a real man to look after your kids”: Aboriginal men’s discourse on parenting 2019Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and parenting: a scoping review 2020“When I got the news”: Aboriginal fathers in the Kimberley region yarning about their experience of the antenatal period 2023Fathers attending the birth of their baby: Views, intentions and needs

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