The US recognises the peril of absent fathers. Why can we?
James Q. Wilson is a rare social scientist. He not only had a great idea but actually showed that it worked – to the extent of turning whole cities around. Wilson’s “broken window” crime theory argued that allowing petty crimes such as vandalism to proliferate undermined respect for the rule of law and created a climate in which serious violent crime grew. The broken-window approach to policing was adopted enthusiastically by cities such as New York and is seen as a major factor in the dramatic drop in crime that followed. So when Wilson decides to throw his weight behind the United States’ push to promote marriage, it’s a big deal. His latest book, The Marriage Problem: How our Culture Has Weakened Families, makes the case that the institution of marriage, once a reliable thread that held American society together, is falling apart and the resulting growth in fatherlessness is devastating. Wilson’s view is that the destructive features of a world without fathers are by now so well-doc
