Fatherless Children

Many children grow up without a father figure and this is a major issue. The percentage of children in the United States who grow up in a home without a father is steadily increasing. This is a major issue that needs to be resolved. Children who grow up without fathers are more likely to have mental and emotional issues, have involvement in gangs, be imprisoned at a young age, or die prematurely. Growing Up Fatherless shared results that showed, "Official U.S. data shows that 63 percent of youth suicides (5 times the average), 70 percent of youths in state-operated institutions (9 times the average) and 85 percent of children with behavioral disorders (20 times the average) are from fatherless homes," ("Growing Up Fatherless | Support Group | Statistics | Help | Find Father," n.d.). People will argue that many people do fine in life and they did not have a father involved in their lives, so there must not be an issue then. It is important to keep in mind that while this is true, the statistics show that there is a major problem with fatherless children being far more likely to engage in many destructive activities.

It has been known for a very long time that it is important to have the influence of both parents in a young child's life. The problem is that more and more children are
According to a study a strong correlation to age was found. The study showed that the younger a child was during a father's absence the more likely they would be to have issues with development (McLanahan, S., Tach, L., & Schneider, D.). A case study on the role a father plays showed not only a link between the absence of a father and development, but it also showed that may affect intelligence. The study showed that children with involved fathers score better on tests, and they do better in classes than those who do not (Karpetis, G.