THE FATHER FACTOR
Data on the Consequences of Father Absence ~
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America -- one out of three -- live in biological father-absent homes. Consequently, there is a "father factor" in nearly all of the social issues facing America today. Scroll down to view data on the effects of father absence on: poverty, maternal and child health, incarceration, crime, teen pregnancy, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, education, and childhood obesity.
Father Factor in Poverty ~Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only families.
U.S.
Census Bureau, Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2011,
Table C8. Washington D.C.
Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and poverty
Father Factor in Emotional and Behavioral Problems ~Data from three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N= 2,111) was used to examine the prevalence and effects of mothers’ relationship changes between birth and age 3 on their children’s well being. Children born to single mothers show higher levels of aggressive behavior than children born to married mothers. Living in a single-mother household is equivalent to experiencing 5.25 partnership transitions.
Source: Osborne, C., & McLanahan, S. (2007). Partnership
instability and child well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1065-1083
A sample of 4,027 resident fathers and children from the
Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey was used to investigate the
effects of a biological father’s multipartner fertility (having at least one
child with more than one mother) on adolescent health. Resident fathers
engaging in multipartner fertility were older, more likely to be White, and had
lower education levels and income, compared to fathers with one partner.
Results indicated children’s externalizing behaviors were negatively affected
directly and indirectly when their biological father had children with multiple
partners. Source: Bronte-Tinkew, J., Horowitz, A., & Scott, M. E.
(2009). Fathering with multiple partners: Links to children’s well-being in
early childhood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71, 608–631.
Father Factor in Maternal and Child Health ~ Infant mortality rates are 1.8 times higher for infants of unmarried mothers than for married mothers.
Source: Matthews, T.J., Sally C. Curtin, and Marian F.
MacDorman. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 1998 Period Linked Birth/Infant
Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 48, No. 12. Hyattsville , MD : National Center
Father Factor in Incarceration ~
Even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent
households still had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in
mother-father families. Youths who never had a father in the household
experienced the highest odds.
Source: Harper, Cynthia C. and Sara S. McLanahan. “Father
Absence and Youth Incarceration.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 14
(September 2004): 369-397. A 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates
revealed that 39% of jail inmates lived in mother-only households. Approximately
forty-six percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a previously incarcerated family
member. One-fifth experienced a father in prison or jail. Source: James, Doris J. Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002.
(NCJ 201932). Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, July 2004. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and incarceration
Father Factor in Crime ~ A study of 109 juvenile offenders indicated that family structure significantly predicts delinquency.
Source: Bush, Connee, Ronald L. Mullis, and Ann K. Mullis.
“Differences in Empathy Between Offender and Nonoffender Youth.” Journal of
Youth and Adolescence 29 (August 2000): 467-478. A study of low-income minority adolescents aged 10-14 years
found that higher social encounters and frequent communication with nonresident
biological fathers decreased adolescent delinquency. Source: Coley, R. L., & Medeiros, B. L. (2007).
Reciprocal longitudinal relations between nonresident father involvement and
adolescent delinquency. Child Development, 78, 132–147. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and crime
Father Factor in Teen Pregnancy & Sexual Activity ~
Being raised by a single mother raises the risk of teen
pregnancy, marrying with less than a high school degree, and forming a marriage
where both partners have less than a high school degree. Source: Teachman, Jay D. “The Childhood Living Arrangements
of Children and the Characteristics of Their Marriages.” Journal of Family
Issues 25 (January 2004): 86-111. Separation or frequent changes increase a woman’s risk of
early menarche, sexual activity and pregnancy. Women whose parents separated
between birth and six years old experienced twice the risk of early
menstruation, more than four times the risk of early sexual intercourse, and
two and a half times higher risk of early pregnancy when compared to women in
intact families. The longer a woman lived with both parents, the lower her risk
of early reproductive development. Women who experienced three or more changes
in her family environment exhibited similar risks but were five times more
likely to have an early pregnancy. Source: Quinlan, Robert J. “Father absence, parental care,
and female reproductive development.” Evolution and Human Behavior 24 (November
2003): 376-390. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and teen pregnancy.Father Factor in Child Abuse ~
A study using data from the Fragile Families and Child
Wellbeing Study revealed that in many cases the absence of a biological father
contributes to increased risk of child maltreatment. The results suggest that
Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies have some justification in viewing the
presence of a social father as increasing children’s risk of abuse and neglect.
It is believed that in families with a non-biological (social) father figure,
there is a higher risk of abuse and neglect to children, despite the social
father living in the household or only dating the mother. Source: “CPS Involvement in Families with Social Fathers.”
Fragile Families Research Brief No.46. 
Source: Guterman, N.B., Yookyong, L., Lee, S. J., Waldfogel,
J., & Rathouz, P. J. (2009). Fathers and maternal risk for physical child
abuse. Child Maltreatment, 14, 277-290. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and child abuse and neglect. Father Factor in Drug and Alcohol Abuse ~
Even after controlling for community context, there is
significantly more drug use among children who do not live with their mother
and father. Source: Hoffmann, John P. “The Community Context of Family
Structure and Adolescent Drug Use.” Journal of Marriage and Family 64 (May
2002): 314-330. In a study of 6,500 children from the ADDHEALTH database,
father closeness was negatively correlated with the number of a child’s friends
who smoke, drink, and smoke marijuana. Closeness was also correlated with a
child’s use of alcohol, cigarettes, and hard drugs and was connected to family
structure. Intact families ranked higher on father closeness than single-parent
families. Source: National Fatherhood Initiative. “Family Structure,
Father Closeness, & Drug Abuse.” 
Father Factor in Childhood Obesity ~
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that obese
children are more likely to live in father-absent homes than are non-obese
children. Source: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. In a study using a sample of 2,537 boys and 2,446 girls,
researchers investigated the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) status
at ages 4 to 5 years and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting involvement and
parenting styles. The results showed that only fathers’ parenting behaviors and
styles were associated with increased risks of child overweight and obesity.
Mothers’ parenting behaviors and styles were not associated with a higher
likelihood of children being in a higher BMI category. In the case of fathers,
however, higher father control scores were correlated with lower chances of the
child being in a higher BMI category. Moreover, children of fathers with
permissive and disengaged parenting styles had higher odds of being in a higher
BMI category. Source: Wake, M., Nicholson, J.M., Hardy, P., & Smith,
K. (2007). Preschooler obesity and parenting styles of mothers and fathers:
Australian national population study, Pediatrics, 12, 1520-1527. Click here to access additional, free research on father absence and childhood obesity.
Father Factor in Education ~
Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher
likelihood of a student getting mostly A's. This was true for fathers in
biological parent families, for stepfathers, and for fathers heading
single-parent families.
Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’
and Mothers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools by Family Type and
Resident Status. (NCES 2001-032). Washington , D.C. : U.S.
Department of Education, National
Center
HOW DID CHILDREN OF DIVORCE GET STUCK WITH THE VISITATION PLAN THAT AFFORDS THEM ACCESS TO THEIR NON-RESIDENTIAL PARENT ONLY ONE NIGHT DURING THE WEEK AND EVERY OTHER WEEK-END?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the research that supports such a schedule? Where is the data that confirms that such a plan is in the best interest of the child?
Well, reader, you can spend your time from now until eternity researching the literature, and YOU WILL NOT DISCOVER ANY SUPPORTING DATA for the typical visitation arrangement with the non-residential parent! The reality is that this arrangement is based solely on custom. And just like the short story, "The Lottery," in which the prizewinner is stoned to death, the message is that deeds and judgments are frequently arrived at based on nothing more than habit, fantasy, prejudice, and yes, on "junk science."
This family therapist upholds the importance of both parents playing an active and substantial role in their children's lives----especially in situations when the parents are apart. In order to support the goal for each parent to provide a meaningfully and considerable involvement in the lives of their children, I affirm that the resolution to custody requires an arrangement for joint legal custody and physical custody that maximizes the time with the non-residential----with the optimal arrangement being 50-50, whenever practical. It is my professional opinion that the customary visitation arrangement for non-residential parents to visit every other weekend and one night during the week is not sufficient to maintain a consequential relationship with their children. Although I have heard matrimonial attorneys, children's attorneys, and judges assert that the child needs the consistency of the same residence, I deem this assumption to be nonsense. I cannot be convinced that the consistency with one's bed trumps consistency with a parent!
Should the reader question how such an arrangement can be judiciously implemented which maximizes the child's time---even in a 50-50 arrangement----with the non-residential parent, I direct the reader to the book, Mom's House, Dads House, by the Isolina Ricci, PhD.
Indeed, the research that we do have supports the serious consequences to children when the father, who is generally the non-residential parent, does not play a meaningful role in lives of his children. The book, Fatherneed, (2000) by Dr. Kyle Pruitt, summarizes the research at Yale University about the importance of fathers to their children. And another post on this page summarizes an extensive list of other research.
Children of divorce or separation of their parents previously had each parent 100% of the time and obviously cannot have the same arrangement subsequent to their parents' separation. But it makes no sense to this family therapist that the result of parental separation is that the child is accorded only 20% time with one parent and 80% with the other. What rational person could possibly justify this?
It's human nature to seek out a partner in life, and to possibly marry and have children. Unfortunately the matrimonial establishment, as we are all aware, is being methodically torn down by a demoralized society. Sadly the divorce rate is still on the rise and the foundation of marriage is being devalued and is crumbling. As adults we learn to adapt and move on when divorce attacks our lives but for children this is another story. They are the real victims of divorce and unfortunately they will suffer dearly from our selfishness and in most cases follow the same path of destruction if not worse.
ReplyDeleteAs a nation we have been granted certain civil rights by our constitution. Through the years it has been amended to better the lives of many Americans. The two most notable changes have come to Women in the 1920s and with African Americans in the 1960s. These rights were long overdue for both segments of our nation but thankfully we realized our mistakes and corrected them. This was not an easy journey for either of these crusades but through dedication and perseverance the bells of liberty rang loudly and victory was achieved.
Unfortunately we have reached yet another fork in the road and with that comes another challenge to the American people. "We've worked hard for women's rights, but we have to watch out that the pendulum doesn't swing the other way" says Ruthie J. of the Reach FM. Ironically the pendulum has already swung far to one side and this time the male gender is being demonized by erroneous and fraudulent information. Males are being portrayed as callus, uncaring, and without emotion. We are being taught that men represent 95% of abuse in this nation against women. These and many other false statistics are being recklessly strewn throughout society and none of it is true. Yes, women are being abused by men that is a fact. striking a woman is abhorrent to the highest degree and should be dealt with appropriately but men are abused at an equal rate and they are being ignored. According to a study by the Center for Disease Control men represent 38% of domestic violence related injuries. Compound that with the fact that only 0.9% of men report abuse verses 8.5% of women and I think we have a pretty equal degree of violence between partners.
The cornerstone of this "abuse" is VAWA the Violence Against Women Act. It was passed into law by Bill Clinton in 1994 and has been extended by every subsequent President. This law funnels Billions of dollars into discriminatory education and propaganda that violates men's civil rights. Many times DVIs or Domestic Violence Injunctions are used as a tool in divorce, child custody or just vengeance against a partner, most often against males. This is because the system of acquiring a DVI is simple and requires no evidence, witnesses or prior police reports. Just the word of an alleged victim making a claim of abuse. The repercussions of these orders are devastating and many times result in a violation, arrest and complete destruction of one's life. Even in cases when they are dismissed, a serious blemish remains on the falsely accused forever; how does that look to potential employers who almost always perform background checks prior to employment? This must be stopped and a better system of protecting all victims of domestic violence should be put in place.
I hope to help bring awareness to gender discrimination and help provide support for men who are abused. There are programs to help women of abuse but nothing for men. My website will provide more information on the facts, my personal experiences and the stories of those who have been victims of this heinous tactic of relationship vengeance. Men and women should truly have equal rights and currently the scales are unjustly tilted. Let's work together to end domestic violence and not vilify one gender as inherently abusive. "United we stand, divided we fall" A powerful statement that we must never forget.
Thank you,
Tom Lemons
Founder, www.falsedvireports.com