Renowned Ghanaian playwright Ebo Whyte has expressed concerns about the increasing number of boys being raised solely by their mothers without male role models.
In a May 29, 2024 interview with Joy Prime, Whyte described the trend of young mothers raising their sons without any male influence as alarming, highlighting it as a significant societal issue.
“One of the biggest issues of our time is boys being raised by women without any male influence. It is a big issue,” he stated. “I am alarmed that more and more young ladies think it’s a good option to have a child without a husband or a man to help raise the boy. This will leave the boy lacking something. He needs a father figure in his life.”
Whyte reminisced about earlier generations when women, in the absence of a father due to death or divorce, would seek out a male figure within the community to mentor their sons.
“In our mothers’ times, when situations compelled them to raise a boy alone, either due to the father’s death or divorce, they would always look for another man in the community to whom the boy could be accountable,” he recalled.
He urged single mothers to find a trustworthy male figure to serve as a role model for their sons.
“If the man is dead or there’s been a divorce, look for someone else in the community whom the boy can look up to, who can support and hold him accountable,” he advised.
According to Whyte, fathers or father figures play a crucial role in the development and upbringing of boys into responsible men.