Sharing and Learning from the State of South Africa Fathers report
Introduction and Background
Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke), the MenCare in Africa regional lead, is excited to convene the Religion and Fatherhood in South Africa webinar on the 16th of April 2025. The webinar will be marked with an overview of the Religion and Fatherhood in South Africa chapter extracted from the 3rd rd edition of the State of South Africa Fathers report, which was launched in February 2025. The webinar will see Sonke diving into the various contexts that have shaped religion, and faith and how it has influenced fatherhood in South Africa, followed by speakers from several areas of expertise being drawn to engage with participants.
Religious and traditional institutions have significantly defined the fabric of South African society as holders of cultural and social influence and decision-making power. An understanding of these institutions’ pivotal role in forming norms that influence behaviour provides greater insights into appreciating the social behaviour of South Africa’s fathers. Due to the intricate history of South Africa – influenced by colonialism, apartheid, and post-apartheid developments – systems, structures, cultural diversity and religion all play a significant role in shaping the diversity of everyday life. South Africa is officially a secular state with functional freedom of religious association. Christianity is the dominant religion in the country, but many follow traditional African beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhis, Islam, and many others. This diverse socio-religious landscape has a widespread impact on male identities across all age groups and sectors of South African society.
The date for the webinar has been strategically set to be convened in April as a build-up to the 2025 Father’s Day celebrations in June, where Sonke will convene a gathering in Johannesburg to mobilise partners working on fatherhood. We do acknowledge that the religion and faith landscape in each community or country may be different; as such, this webinar aims to spark a thought in everyone to think about their own practice that can help deliver positive parenting, caregiving and fatherhood practices.