MATERNAL NON-DISCLOSURE OF A CHILD’S BIOLOGICAL FATHER: METHODOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS FROM A JOHANNESBURG STUDY

Abstract

Due to a dearth of research on mothers who have not disclosed the true biological identity of fathers to their children, there is lack of information on suitable methods for studying this topic. This article aims to share some methodological experiences from the field. Eight one-on-one narrative interviews were conducted with participants who were mothers or female guardians of a child who did not know his or her biological father. The study was located in Johannesburg and explored circumstances that contributed to non-disclosure of a biological father. Participants were recruited through snowballing and were a non-probability sample. They were aged between 33 and 60 years. Each participant was interviewed once. Methodological reflections reported here cover recruitment, interviews and ethics. This article reports a challenge with recruiting middle-class participants when gatekeepers felt that the topic was sensitive and may have legal repercussions for participants. We report on successful recruitment via online platforms and face-to-face community-based announcements. Whilst the response to recruitment was vast, not all interested parties were eligible, including men who did not know their fathers. Women in this study mainly opted for one-on-one interviews instead of focus group discussions. There was a challenge with maintaining complete privacy as some participants themselves agreedto have other family members nearby during the interview. Also, working in this community posed challenges with obtaining member-checking and receiving feedback on the transcripts. This article reports on a number of experiences that are relevant for future similar studies with women in low-income settings. The article suggests an adoption of gender-sensitive recruitment strategies with sensitivity regarding the gendered social gaze that is directed at women who have not disclosed the father’s identity to a child. The positive response from prospective participants indicated willingness from the general population to talk to researchers about unknown fathers. Ethical imperatives such as auditory and visual privacy and the imperative to conduct member checking need to be adapted for local contexts.