This study aims to examine the communication styles and identity construction of fatherless women in romantic relationships in Surabaya. Of 53 respondents, 38% experienced fatherlessness as a physically present but emotionally absent father, 28% due to divorce, 20% as neglect (father alive but absent both physically and emotionally), and 14% due to paternal death. Using Woolfolk’s (2016) framework and a descriptive qualitative approach, in-depth interviews revealed that fatherless women seek partners to fill their emotional voids and take control over communication, attention, or intimacy. Their ideal partner image consistently contrasts with their father as a coping mechanism. Their self–image emerges as active “void fillers” who work to maintain emotional security. The findings confirm that relational control is the common thread linking communication styles and identity among fatherless women. The absence of a father not only has psychological impacts but also shapes destructive communication patterns in romantic relationships.

Keyword: fatherless women, romantic relationship, commuication, identity construction.