The social construal of fatherhood among the Kpelle of West Africa is examined and an explanation for it is sought in the socioeconomic forces affecting the roles of children in rural Liberia. Fatherhood may be denied by high status Kpelle men who want to avoid child-rearing expenses and risks. When the child has been raised by its mother and there is sufficient cause for the man to want the child, he may then proclaim his paternity.