The proportion of American children being raised without fathers has skyrocketed, accompanied by a wide array of social ills. The lack of father involvement is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation. Men in our society are not expected to be the primary caregiver. That is generally assumed to be a mother's job. .
According to Ballentine (1999) children need their fathers in their lives, from infancy to adulthood. Changing times have affected the father's role. Stay at home moms are becoming rare, as over two thirds of mothers work out side of the home. This makes the father's role more crucial. Mothers often assume a larger role in early parenting partly because of traditional expectations. Women are socialized to feel more comfortable in giving care to infants and to develop more skills to with young children.
"With the increasing number of premarital births and a continuing high divorce rate, the proportion of children living with just one parent rose from 9 percent in 1960 to 28 percent in 1996. Currently, 57.7 percent of all black children, 31.8 percent of all Hispanic children, and 20.9 percent of all white children are living in single-parent homes". (Radi and Russell1975).
Fathers are vitally important in the well-being of our youth that are the future of our society. Children need the stable balance of having both a mother figure and a father figure in their lives. "Children in single parent households fail to learn the role of the other parent, and the gender traits of responsible adults who have mastered the caring arts which are so necessary to achieve stable, loving two parent intact families." (zzzzzz).
Children who grow up without fathers are more likely to be poor, drop out of school, end up in the juvenile justice system, and have higher rates of teen pregnancy and suicide. Tragically, because these children never see the roles fathers play in family life, they are likely to grow up and repeat the same cycle with their own children.