A Fatherless Cgild

A Fatherless Child

Sociology

A Fatherless Child

The typical American family is located in a small American town on a quiet street. They live in a white house with blue shutters surrounded by a white picket fence. In the yard, the father is proudly throwing a football to this two sons while the dog jumps around them. In the kitchen, the mom is showing her daughter how to cook chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Is this really the typical 21st century American family? This scenario may have been true over 50 years ago but it is not true today. Today, the typical American family consists of a single mother working more than one job and trying to raise the children with the help of family. What is missing from the equation? The presence of a father in the life of the children.

The Problem

Does the absence of a father in a child’s life affect that child and his/her performance in society? The following study will prove that it is more beneficial for a child to have a father in his/her life than to be without a father.

Research and Review

Upon research, it was found that numerous studies had been conducted on the impact of absent fathers in a childs life. Studies have found that a child is affected in poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, physically and emotionally, educational achievements, crime, and sexual activity and teenage pregnancy.

The National Center for Children in Poverty found that young children who did not have fathers in the home were “five times more likely to be poor and ten times as likely to be extremely poor.” The National Commission on Children also found that close to 75% of American children who do not have fathers will go through poverty before eleven years of age. This is compared to 20% of children who have the comfort of two parents.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that, "Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse." Teenagers are...