Who Needs Fathers?
American children are in crisis and families are in need of assistance due to father absence. • Research results show that 24 million children (34 percent) live absent their biological father. • Other results show that children who live absent their biological fathers are more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents. • Thus, reducing father absence via supporting and encouraging fathers to become actively involved in their child’s life offers significant potential to reduce the adverse effects of father absence and to empower individual lives, foster families, and contribute to community wellbeing.
