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)
Forty three percent of prison inmates grow up in single parent household. Seventy two percent grow
A variety of studies have articulated a relationship between the father’s interactional style and cognitive development of children. Radi and Russell (1975) report that boys’ contact with their fathers promotes intellectual development. These fathers’ model modes of thinking and problem solving, which their sons internalize. However, cognitive development in boys is negatively affected by paternal restrictiveness, hostility, and authoritarian discipline and control. The positive relationship between paternal contact and cognitive development is less strong for girls Pruett (1996).
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