Absent Fathers Rough Draft For various reasons, many children in the United States are living without their fathers in their homes or absent from their lives entirely. This is an issue all across the world and the children are having to deal with the disadvantages caused by the lack of support from their fathers. This issue has a significant effect on society and can be viewed and interpreted from the three sociological perspectives. As a result of many studies, it was found that children raised in father absent homes almost universally experience disadvantages such as: worse health, poorer academic achievement, and a less enjoyable educational experience. There are many variables that need to be taken into effect when considering children’s behavior from these homes, including why the father is not present. Death, divorce, separation, prison, mother never married, all have varying results in the success of the children. Children in father absent homes have also been shown to be more aggressive, have a higher likelihood for criminal behavior and even have a slower cognitive development than children that are raised by both of their parents. It is interesting to investigate the effects of the different variables and how the occasionally deviant behavior affects society. About half of the children in America will spend at least a portion of their childhood in a single parent family, and most of the time it is their father that is not present. The prevalent absence of fathers has been called a social disaster and according to a 1999 Gallup poll, public opinion agrees. The poll showed that 72% of Americans agreed that fatherlessness is this country’s most significant social problem. According to a study done in 2003, there are 5... ... middle of paper ... ...ciodemographic Similarities in Britain and the United States." JSTOR. Springer, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. DeBell, Matthew. "Children Living without Their Fathers: Population Estimates and Indicators of Educational Well-Being." JSTOR. Springer, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. Fritsch, Travis A., and John D. Burkhead. "Behavioral Reactions of Children to Parental Absence Due to Imprisonment." JSTOR. National Council on Family Relations, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. Harris, Shanette M. "Father Absence in the African American Community: Towards a New Paradigm." JSTOR. Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. Jaffee, Sara R., Terrie E. Moffitt, Avshalom Caspi, and Alan Taylor. "Life with (Or Without) Father: The Benefits of Living with Two Biological Parents Depend on the Father's Antisocial Behavior." JSTOR. Wiley, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
However, Peter had left the household in 2001, but still supported the family financially. In the book Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach by Curt R. Bartol discusses the parental and family risk factors of single-parent households. In the early studies it was concluded that delinquents are more likely to come from homes where parents were separated or divorced. In recent studies researchers have looked into the correlation of single-parent households, the quality of the parent-child relationship, economic status, emotional support available, and more. In the study of “conflict-ridden vs. conflict-free” it focused on the process rather than structure of family. Children from a single-parent home that are relatively conflict-free are less likely to be a delinquent than children from conflict-ridden “intact” homes. A stable, secure, and mutually supportive family is exceedingly important
...istics, 1999). McBride, Brent A., Sara K., Sullivan, and Ho-Ho (2005) reported about the achievement levels in a adolescent who grows up with a father, “A study of 1330 children from the PSID showed that fathers who are involved on a personal level with their child schooling increases the likelihood of their child's achievement. When fathers assume a positive role in their child's education, students feel a positive impact.” (p. 201-216). Children who do not grow up in a two parent homes, are more likely to fail and repeat a grade in school. It is also important to note that children who grow up in single parent families are less likely to have parents involved with the school, 62% of children with two parent homes have parents that are involved in school, while children from single parent homes have half of them involved in school (Nord, Winquist, West, 2001).
Toppo, Greg, “Obama urges absent fathers to re-engage in children's lives”. USA Today. 19 Feb, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-06-22-obamafathersday22_ST_N.htm
Parke, Ross D. "Effects of Parental Incarceration on Young Children." Parke, Ross D. "Effects of Parental
Fatherless has been one of the most important challenges and epidemics in our generation. The effects of growing up...
Krisberg, B. A. & Temin, C. E. (2001). The plight of children whose parents are in prison. National Council on Crime Delinquency. Available:F:USERSEveryoneWEBSITE ARTICLESChildren of Incarcerated Parents Newsletter.wpd
The challenges of children who grow up with parents whom were incarcerated at some point in their childhood can have a major effect on their life. The incarceration of parents can at times begin to affect the child even at birth. Now with prison nurseries the impregnated mother can keep her baby during her time in jail. With the loss of their parent the child can begin to develop behavioral problems with being obedient, temper tantrums, and the loss of simple social skills. Never learning to live in a society they are deprived of a normal social life. “The enormous increase incarceration led to a parallel, but far less documented, increase in the proportion of children who grew up with a parent incarcerated during their childhood” (Johnson 2007). This means the consequences of the children of the incarcerated parents receive no attention from the media, or academic research. The academic research done in this paper is to strengthen the research already worked by many other people. The impact of the parent’s incarceration on these children can at times be both positive and negative. The incarceration of a parent can be the upshot to the change of child’s everyday life, behavioral problems, and depriving them a normal social life.
In David Blankenhorn’s book written in 1995, he brings to light what he calls “America’s fundamental problem”: our culture of fatherlessness. Our modern day view of fathers is that they are unnecessary both in society and in the upbringing of a child. Blankenhorn argues the contrary: the only way to solve the multitude of social problems present in America is to address the common denominator, the decline of fathers and the shrinking importance of fatherhood. Blankenhorn’s book is split into three parts: Part I: Fatherlessness, Part II: The Cultural Script and Part III: Fatherhood. In Fatherlessness, he provides the history of fatherhood and includes statistics that help to illustrate the transition of the father from head of the household to being “almost entirely a Sunday institution” (pg. 15).
Regardless if a child has their mother or father incarcerated, they will most likely face various difficulties such as unstable living situation, academic struggles, and behavior problems in and out of school. Also, it has been discovered that 70 percent of all children with an incarcerated parent have some type of psychological or emotional condition (Kjellstrand, 2012). Some children can become socially stigmatized by his or her peers because of their parent’s imprisonment, which can cause them to underperform in school (Craigie, 2011). Researchers have had some discrepancy on how much a child’s educational performance is affected when one of their parents has been incarcerated, but some findings indicate that about 50 to 80 percent of these children will face problems in
A child needs both of their parents’ love and affection while growing up. A child that grows up with both has a higher chance of being a more stable person. However, not all children have this luxury; some children are born into dysfunctional families that consist of only one parent like the children in the Wingfield family. “A study of 1,977 children age 3 and older living with a residential father or father figure found that children living with married biological parents had significantly fewer externalizing behavioral problems than children living with at least one non-biological parent” (Consequences of Fatherlessness). The absent parent in the Wingfield family affected everyone in the family, not only the children. The absent father,
According to Wakefield and Wildeman, paternal incarceration is associated with substantially elevated risks of child homelessness. Their 2014 study revealed that the link between incarceration and homelessness was due to the destabilization of already fragile household capital, and the decrease of children’s access to educational and informal supports. Moreover, in a recent study from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods PHDCN, it was revealed that children of incarcerated parents demonstrate 30% higher incidence of behavioral problems, such as social withdrawal, nervousness, irritability, and difficulty in concentrating. Furthermore, this population also experiences 44% more external behavioral problems, such as defiance, physical aggressiveness, and disruptiveness. Let alone, the rate of single mothers was matched with the increasing number of male prisoners, in accordance to Mauer (1999). In addition, the link between incarcerated maternal and paternal figures and child mortality is also identified, according to Wakefield and Wildeman (2014). Families with limited access to technologies and information, such as ones with incarcerated members, are likely to increase their infant mortality risk by 58%, as stated by the same authors. The book Children of the Prison Boom demonstrates mass incarceration is massively disruptive at the core of
2. Dowd, Nancy. In Defense Of Single Parent Families. New York: New York University, 1997
When someone thinks about the definition of a father, he or she thinks about the support, care, love, and knowledge a father gives to his offspring. Most people automatically believe that biological fathers, along with the mothers, raise their children. However, that is not always the case. There are many children across the world who are raised without their father. These children lack a father figure. People do not realize how detrimental the lack of a father figure can be to the child, both mentally and emotionally. Enrolling boys between the ages of 5 to 16 without father figures in programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, that involve building a relationship with someone who can serve as a role model is essential to prevent males from depression, difficulty in expressing emotions, and other consequences of having an absent father figure.
Throughout history a one-parent household has been deemed as a nontraditional family, but in today’s society it seems more and more common with every day. Although the reason and causes vary, each year the number of children raised by a single parent increases. Most people don’t seem to realize how much this can change a child’s future. The impact of childhood experiences simply set the disposition of adulthood and the rest of their lives. There is not one sole factor that affects child development, but one very important one is the role and relationship created with one’s parents. How a child is parented and raised leaves a lasting impression on them, commonly for a lifetime. You can see how this might alter a child, being that one parent is missing. Child development based off of living in a one-parent household is very circumstantial because each child and each parent are different individuals. But one thing is for sure; all areas of child development can be affected due to a missing parent, including social, cognitive emotional, and physical areas. I sat down with Dr. Carlos Antoline, a children’s school psychologist to see what the real impact of growing up in a one-parent household has on child development.
Johnson, Elizabeth I., and Jane Waldfogel. "Parental Incarceration: Recent Trends and Implications for Child Welfare." The Social Service Review Vol. 76.No. 3 (September 2002): 460-79. JSTOR. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.