Definition of Absent Father

The way a person defines an idea is critical to understanding what they mean when they respond to situations, and in this case, to questions in the survey. When asked to define the term, “absent father”, the participants responded by giving multiple answers. Most of the respondents selected from the choices that were listed in the questionnaire, at times choosing to combine answers. Forty-five women felt that an absent father is one who is physically present, but whose presence is not felt. There were 73 females who felt that an absent father is one who is totally uninvolved in the life of the child and who is completely absent. Some women, 36 of them, felt that an absent father is one who is unknown to the child or whom the child has never come to know. There were 6 participants who chose not to respond to this question. There was 1 participant in the 13 – 18 age range who felt that an absent father is “one who does not care about anything”.

A careful look at the results for this question showed that there were more women who felt that absent fathers are those who are totally uninvolved in the life of the child than any of the other responses. The second most popular response was that fathers who are present but whose presence is not felt by the child may be considered an absent father. This may infer that participants agree with the definition of paternal absenteeism used earlier in this study. Perhaps for the purposes of another study, one may seek to determine the effects of psychological paternal absenteeism as opposed to physical absenteeism. However, it must be reemphasized here that the definition given in this study places a greater emphasis on the absence of the qualities that the father offers rather than the absence of the father himself.

Perhaps the most startling result, though in the minority, was that of the individual in the youngest age range. Her way of relaying her definition of an absent father was, in the opinion of the researcher, quite expressive. Although the participant who gave this response was not one whose father was absent, one may wonder how a daughter who felt that her father “does not care about anything” may be affected by that perception. It is mind boggling to think of the fact that daughter whose father “does not care about anything” may experience a plethora of increased psychological, physical and social challenges. There is no substitute for the role of a father in the life of his daughter. No daughter should be made to feel that her father does not care about her.