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

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 a 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.

Keywords 

aboriginal and Torres strait islander, male parents, men’s health 

Evidence suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander men’s health and well-being may benefit from strengthening their role as parents (Adams, 2006; Tsey et al., 2004). Further, men’s parenting can improve child development and family harmony in low-income and  Indigenous societies (Bornstein, 2012; Opondo et al.,  2016; Panter-Brick et al., 2014). The Strong Fathers,  Strong Families (SFSF) program, conducted in a men’s group format, incorporates the broad aim of promoting men’s well-being by emphasizing the value of their role as proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fathers,  grandfathers, and uncles (McCalman et al., 2006a;  McCalman et al., 2006b). Participating men are encouraged to see themselves as healthy role models for their

To strengthen the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male parenting role, it is vital to examine current barriers and opportunities for their engagement with the relevant health and welfare services in remote Aboriginal communities. This paper is informed by data from yarning sessions, which are an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander method for sharing experiences and knowledge (Geia,  Hayes, & Usher, 2013). Yarning sessions were conducted systematically with Aboriginal community stakeholders  (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010; Geia, Hayes, & Usher,  2013) to gather knowledge about the opportunities and barriers to men’s parenting in the context of service deliv ery. The aim was to inform the SFSF program, Aboriginal health policy and practice related to child and maternal health, and the Aboriginal men’s health field. 

Strong Fathers, Strong Families 

The SFSF program is funded by the Australian Federal  Government Department of Health and Ageing. The funding was distributed to 13 organizations nationally, with the  Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland Section being one of the funded organizations. The SFSF program broadly aims to build genuine, sensitive, trusting, and culturally appropriate relationships with Aboriginal and  Torres Strait Islander males and the wider community. For brevity, the endorsed term Aboriginal and Torres Strait  Islander is interchangeably referred to as Aboriginal or  Indigenous in this article.

The broad objective of SFSF is to recognize and support the important influence that fathers, uncles, and grandfathers have in the lives of chil dren, mothers, and families. The specific objectives of  SFSF are to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men using a men’s group method to increase knowledge and access to culturally appropriate antenatal, early childhood development, and parenting services (McCalman et al., 2006b). The men’s groups also function as referral sites to other health providers in the communities. The  SFSF program was implemented by RFDS in three remote areas Lower Gulf communities, Normanton, Mornington  Island, and Doomadgee (Figure 1). 

Historical Parenting Roles Among Aboriginal  and Torres Strait Islander Men 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men’s parenting requires an understanding of contextual factors including colonization, discrimination, and bias in govern ment policy. Compromised health including mental health and an increased risk of suicide has been associated with an undermined male role in Indigenous society (Adams & Danks, 2007). The denial of the  

422 American Journal of Men’s Health 12(2) 

male role and responsibility have been connected with living less meaningful and healthy lifestyles and with poor psychological and physical health status relative to that of non-Indigenous men (Marmot, 2011).  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men have a life expectancy of approximately 59 years, which is 17  years less than that of non-Indigenous men. The mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is, in fact, three to seven times higher than for non-Indigenous men in the same age group, with the main causes being cardiovascular diseases, injury, respira.

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