The concept of ‘family’ is seen as a vital building block of society. The human race values it highly, dubbing it one of the most crucial social institutions for child-rearing.

At the same time, family is an artificially constructed phenomenon with a multitude of undocumented laws on the role and responsibility of parents.

How social workers unintentionally reinforce conservative ideas on the family.

This article explores South African social workers’ notions of family. Seven social workers based in Johannesburg were interviewed in a qualitative study and their understanding of families, motherhood and fatherhood was explored. This exercise revealed that how social workers understand families rests largely on their personal value system and experience. Consequently, social workers understand families in quite conventional ways. Motherhood is active, concerned with the day-to-day care for children, their long-term nurturing and development.

This focus analyses folktales of the Madi of Uganda, the underlying gender roles and their valuation in their community. The Madi are a Sudanic people, situated in the northern part of Uganda. The community is patrilineal and identity follows the father’s lineage. This not withstanding, anthropological information shows that Madi women enjoy reasonable social space for self-expression, especially in the choices they make for marriage partners. In traditional gatherings, where serious community issues are discussed, women’s voices are included and an eloquent woman can command the same quality of attention as a man. The storytelling tradition, though minimised in contemporary times, remains alive among the Madi as an occasion to teach and transmit values. This paper examines traditional gender relations in the family context as seen in motherhood, fatherhood and childhood roles and evaluates how these gender roles are either perpetuated or challenged in six selected Madi tales performed in a contemporary context.