Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Terminology
Glossary of colloquial, isiZulu and isiXhosa terms

PART 1 STUDYING YOUNG FATHERS IN IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITIES
1 What we know and need to know about young fathers and fatherhood

• Young fatherhood and negative life outcomes
• The absence of studies on young fathers in the developing world
• The purpose of the study

2 Designing and implementing an ethical phenomenological study

• The conceptual and methodological framework
• Data collection, research sample and analysis
• Using community informants to recruit research participants
• Research ethics
• Limitations and challenges of the study

PART 2 THE VOICES OF YOUNG FATHERS
3 ‘Scared, proud, excited, frustrated, stressed’: Coming to terms with being a young father

• A strong emotional response to the news of fatherhood
• The meaning of responsibility
• Reasons for having a child at a young age
• The impact of the event on young men’s lives
• Conclusion

4 ‘Being there and providing; that’s my job’: Young fathers’ perspectives on good fathering

• Becoming a father in the context of absent fathers
• What it means to be a good father
• What it takes to be a good father
• Conclusion

5 Mothers, damages and ‘her family’: Influences, practices and relationships in the life of a young father

• The role of young fathers’ mothers
• Young men’s relationships with the child’s mother and her family
• Cultural practices as obstacles to young fathers’ involvement with their children
• Conclusion

6 ‘Spare wheels’ and ‘meat to meat’: The meaning of sexual health for impoverished young men

• Young fathers’ use of condoms and knowledge of contraception
• The allure of emotional connection through multiple partners
• The dearth of services and failure of sex education
• Conclusion

PART 3 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7 ‘Knowing, working, talking and connecting’: The crucial needs of young fathers

• A summary of the main findings
• Young fathers’ recommendations about the help they need
• Advice to young men who are soon to be fathers
• Advice to young men to avoid becoming fathers
• Creating closer ties through social network interviewing: A possible intervention
• Recommendations for further study

Appendix 1 Interview schedules
Appendix 2 Consent forms
References