In today's American society the growth of women's independence and self-empowerment has given women the confidence to raise their children without a father. Whether the absence of a father is by choice or not, single mothers are on the rise. Recently, actress Jodie Foster accepted the responsibility of motherhood by means of artificial insemination. Although some would support her decision claiming a triumph for the feminist movement, others would argue she is denying her child core family values and a stable gender balanced environment. In an article written by Kathleen Parker, a family columnist, she opposes the idea of encouraging single motherhood. Parker argues that celebrating this notion of single motherhood could not come at a worse time when fatherlessness has now become a national crisis. She draws a correlation between adolescent deviance due to the absence of a father in early childhood. I agree with Parkers argument in that a father presence is essential for the positive socialization of a child. As Parker states, "perfect mothers are only half the equation and are never a substitute for even an imperfect dad.".
Growing up with both positive male and female role models is essential in the development of the child's mental and social well being. By denying a child of the male gender role that the father represents, the child is robbed of central family values and the understanding of our gender balanced society. Parker elaborates on this point by saying, "on any given day in any American city, a fatherless boy is booked on a murder or a girl barely pubescent gives birth to another fatherless infant." Her statement illustrates that the absence of the father's role in the child's life can lead them to a path of dysfunctional social growth and aptitude. .
On the other hand, when certain circumstances arise when a father is unfit of his social role, then the mother should have the given right to raise the child by herself.
