More handpicked essays just for you.
The effects of single parent households essay
The impact of absent fathers
The effects of single parent households essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The absence of a father affects children in many ways such as behavior, social life, emotional stability. A absent father is someone who is obligated to pay partial child support and who is physically absent from the child’s home. In other words someone who has abandoned their child and left them to figure out life alone . Not having a father can take a toll in the child’s life short term and long term. Everyone always believes that the child will be alright with just the mother in her life. Some do and some don’t its different for every child. Fathers play a critical role in children lives especially with males the lack of a male figure can ruin a child’s life. They are more violent as in have anger issues and take the anger they have against their father on others and have violent outburst when they are upset. Absent fathers effect child intellectual wellbeing negatively as they stated in “Absent Fathers & Child Behavior …show more content…
Fatherless is the most depressing thing a child could go through but its definitely becoming a trend. Most young fathers these days think It’s okay to not be in their kids’ lives because they didn’t have one either. Declining your child isn’t okay it doesn’t matter the circumstances everyone deserves to have both parents around because in all reality no child asked to be here. Some of the things they suffer from is 5 times the average suicide rate, dramatically increased rates of depression, lower job security, lower average of income levels and less educated. Children with absent fathers are likely to have behavior problems they are most likely the ones who don’t have friends and probably will never have any. They need something to show their emotions so they often misbehave and act out for attention and don’t know how they treat others because they don’t know how. Children that live with one parent are most likely to live in poverty than those who have two
The role of the father, a male figure in a child’s life is a very crucial role that has been diminishing over the years. An absent father can be defined in two ways; the father is physically not present, or the father is physically present, but emotionally present. To an adolescent, a father is an idolized figure, someone they look up to (Feud, 1921), thus when such a figure is an absent one, it can and will negatively affect a child’s development. Many of the problems we face in society today, such as crime and delinquency, poor academic achievement, divorce, drug use, early pregnancy and sexual activity can be attributed to fathers being absent during adolescent development (Popenoe, 1996; Whitehead, 1993). The percentage of adolescents growing up fatherless has risen from 17% to 36% in just three decades between 1960 and 1990 (Popenoe, 1996). Dr. Popenoe estimates this number will increase to approximately 50% by the turn of the century (Popenoe, 1996). The US Census Bureau reported out of population of 24 million children, 1 out 3 live in a home without a father (US Census Bureau, 2009).
In this article, the editors discussed the social trends and how they can change in nature of father involvement. They tested how children today will make their expectations taking upon a role of mother and father. Increase in father absence is associated with poor school achievement, reduced involvement in labor force, early childbearing, and high risk-taking behaviors. In addition, boys without fathers will experience problems with their sexual orientation and gender identity, school performance, psychosocial adjustment, and self-control. The editors differentiated the girls by how affected they were without fathers.
A father’s role in a child’s life is extremely important when it comes to a child’s development. With so much emphasis placed on young black boys needing their fathers during crucial developmental ages, the rate of our young black girls growing up without fathers is staggering and overlooked. What is an absent father? The definition is quite simple; an absent father can be defined as a father who is not present in the life of their child whether it is physically, emotionally, or both. Although the absence of a father is detrimental in any child’s life, the absence of such in a young black girl’s life is even more crucial. The absent father in a black girl’s life leads to, in some cases, promiscuity and teenage pregnancy, poverty, and emotional affects such as feelings of unworthiness and unable to be loved, fear of abandonment, and issues with rejection and commitment. The ways in which they view the opposite sex, the outside world and their self are forever tainted as a result of missing the key element of a father.
Fathers have the tendency to have a greater influence on the child than the mother. When children know that they have someone that genuinely loves them, they tend to be happier and more easily satisfied in life. When children do not feel the love from their parents, they become aggressive and unstable emotionally. Without parents or their support, children begin to feel as if they are not good enough and that nobody wants them. But when it comes to rejection from a father, “Delinquency, depression, and substance abuse are all more closely linked to dad’s rejection”(Pappas), which shows how much more a father is needed in a child’s life. Research shows that “fathers who are most effective are those who listen to their children, have a close relationship, set appropriate rules, but also grant appropriate freedom”(Pappas), which was lacked in Fences and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A father’s presence is important because, if someone has a son or daughter and is not there for his children or if they are there and they are doing bad things in front of them, that makes the son believe it is fine to have children and not come around or it is all right to abuse
For me a father’s role to me is a little more important to a child, having a father teaches the girl that she deserves love and respect, protection, attention, strong self-esteem etc. so they know what to expect from their future relationships. The boy needs a father figure because it teaches him right from wrong, how to be a man, how to provide for his family, how to respect a woman etc. In this generation now, absent fathers is the most abused social problem. When a father is alive and he neglects to care or acknowledge you, is what is being abused. Mothers and fathers parent different, mothers are affectionate, emotional, and enforce safety of their children. Fathers are more of the disciplinarians, they enforce success, and a father figure is more
Fatherless has been one of the most important challenges and epidemics in our generation. The effects of growing up...
Children in single parent homes live very complicated lifestyles and will often grow up with many hardships. Single parent homes are becoming normal in today’s society and are beginning to outnumber nuclear two parent families. Being a single parent is hard when it comes to balancing a job, money, a place to live and on top of that raising a child. The struggles of the parent takes an enormous toll on the child with lifelong effects.
Dr. Haim Ginott, a renowned Psychologist, mentor and a teacher once remarked, “Children are like wet cement; whatever falls on them makes an impression.” Thus, the effects of absent fathers on children may in fact, shape their perception of the world around them. Even though developing a stronger relationship with one parent is an effect of absenteeism fathers, it also comes with the challenges of engaging in early sexual activities, diminished cognitive development and poor school performance, which are effects exhibited by many daughters.
This normalcy can be negative or positive and is normally hindered by the presence of supportive and engaging parents first and foremost. Children learn from their surroundings because it is what they grow accustomed to. Children do not know anything else other than what they were taught and trained to know as being normal in their lives and this is where they gain their worldview of what to perceive. That is why it is important to have a father present in the household because it vital to a child’s development. Studies show that if a child 's father is affectionate, supportive, and involved, he can contribute greatly to the child 's cognitive, language, and social development, as well as academic achievement, a strong inner core resource, sense of well-being, good self-esteem, and authenticity (Gross 2014). Therefore, having a father in the home is beneficial to the child’s development and wellbeing. However, there are some fathers who are in the child’s life, but really they are not present for the child. An absent father can mean different things like being physically there, but not actually being involved in the care of the child. It can also mean that the father is not being present for the child when they know that they are the child’s father. It can also be the result a father’s death,
The loss of a parent can cause loss in knowledge, skills, and resources from the parents. They loose such things as support from the parent in finances, emotions, and care. Children tend to have a harder time dealing with a divorce the more divorces their parents go through. The better the parents adjust to these losses, the better the children will adjust, and the fewer problems that will come about. When the child is in a single parents home, there is usually a loss of money and therefore, resources. This can lead to the child being jealous of other children and having lower self esteem.
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
The role of a father in his child’s life extends past the knowledge of far too many, and can oftentimes be eclipsed by the role of the mother. Although the mother’s role is essential and greatly valued in a child’s life and development, the father plays a significant role as well. No mother can fill the father’s place in a child’s heart, for fathers nurture and play differently than a mother. Several studies show that an attentive and highly involved father is critical, especially in the early stages of a child’s life. The absence of a father during this stage can lead to “impaired social and behavioral abilities in adults” (Robert, 2013).
Another possible outcome of growing up without a father is the increased chances of a life of crime for the child. For example, these fatherless children are more likely to become murderers, and have higher rates of juvenile crime than children from two-parent homes (Williams, 2014). Another effect I see of the absence of a father is in the level of education. The child is more likely to have bad grades, lower test scores, and perhaps lower IQ levels. Most concerning is that the child is much more likely to become a drop out and become trouble for the community (Gabel, 2004).
By a definition found on the internet a father is a man who despite not giving birth to you still loves his child just as much as the mother does. Fathers are sometimes seem as more understanding and laid back and seem to have easier resolutions to their child’s problems. They typically tell the child everything will be okay and to tough it out and send the child on to continue what they were doing.However, sometimes he can be hotheaded and punish you faster than mom. Sometimes men are joked about as being big children, which can sometimes amount to a better relationship between the father and child. A lot of children go to dad for the fun stuff like money or going to a friends house because he will give into their begging and pleading easier than their mother
A father have a big impact of their child life because its nothing like having a father to get that man part of your life. Although some believe that fathers do not play an important role, Fathers are vital in their children’s lives. Some people believe fathers don’t play major role.