Effects of Fatherless Homes

Running Head: Effects of Fatherless Homes

The Effects of Fatherless Homes on Teenage Pregnancy

SS270-01

August 27, 2008

The Effects of Fatherless Homes on Teenage Pregnancy

Why do fatherless girls grow into teenagers who raise fatherless children themselves? The absence of fathers in early stages of female existence seem to be a more considerable risk factor for girls' early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy than previously believed, researchers at Duke, Indiana and Auburn universities and in New Zealand have found (Office of news and communications, 2003). Fathers are the first male a little girl comes to know, provided he is present; if absent from the home, what guidelines will female children use to form her ideal image of relationships with men? Single mothers raising daughters, can attempt to inform them of model relationships, but living the life within a two-parent home, better prepares children emotionally for the future. Fathers are the protectors of the home and the children; his absence leaves his daughter open to male predators while searching for a substitute in various men. Absence of a male in the household is not the only reason for this social problem, there are other contributing factors such as poverty, stress, and level of education. The interactionist perspective of individualism, and peer groups provides a separate view based on day-to-day interactions. Thus, girls from father-absent homes may be at higher risks for early sexual activity and destined to have children during their teenage years and repeat the cycle of raising their daughter in a fatherless home.

The United States and New Zealand have the first and second highest rates of teenage pregnancy among Western industrialized countries (Quigley, 2003), where approximately 10% of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant each year. The major concern of teenage pregnancy is its effect on the welfare of teen mothers and their children, as well as...