The American family is changing. Divorce, single parents, and stepfamilies are redefi ning the ways we live together and raise our children. Many "experts" feel these seemingly inevitable changes should be celebrated; they claim that the "new" families, which often lack a strong father, are actually healthier than traditional two-parent families—or, at the very least, do children no harm. But as David Popenoe shows in Families Without Fathers this optimistic view is severely misguided. Examining evidence from social and behavioral science, history, and evolutionary biology, Popenoe shows why fathers today are deserting their families in record numbers. The disintegration of the child-centered, two parent family—especially in the inner cities, where as many as two in three children are growing up without their fathers—and the weakening commitment of fathers to their children that more and more follows divorce, are central causes of many of our worst individual and social problems. Juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, and child poverty can be directly traced to fathers' lack of involvement in their children's lives. Our situation will only get worse, Popenoe warns, unless men are willing to renew their commitment to their marriages and to their children. Yet he is not just an alarmist. He suggests concrete policies, and new ways of thinking and acting that will help all fathers improve their marriages and family lives, and tells us what we as individuals and as a society can do to support and strengthen the most important thing a man can do.
Sociologists from the University of Texas document the impact of gender, poverty, and ethnic and racial minority status on the physical and mental health of children and adult women in families without fathers.
A compelling and controversial exploration of absentee fathers and their impact on the nation.
This collection also includes interviews with daughters of absent fathers and concludes with the effects of certain policy decisions on responsible parenting.
Determined to find the truth, research psychologist Peggy Drexler embarked on a long-term study comparing boys raised in nontraditional families with those whose fathers were present throughout their childhood. The results were startling.
This compelling book is a must-read."—William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University “I am confident that this book will instantly become the leading source of information on the nature of ...
R L. Chase-Lansdale, J. Brooks-Gunn, and E. S. Zamsky. [forthcoming]. "Young African American Multigenerational ... Lawrence Steinberg. 1987. "Single Parents, Step-Parents and the ... E.g., Robert L. Munroe and Ruth L. Munroe. 1992.
Families Without Fatherhood
continuing racial prejudice make the plight of most poor black families particularly difficult. Without a clear heritage of paternal influence, a very high proportion of black fathers are unsure of their parental role.
An (Levine), 134 value (child's need), 122 values, developing. xxi, 89 See also Coaching. Not Controlling waiting before disciplining, 15, 26 Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain (Gerhardt), 41 Winnicott, D.W., ...
Fathers' and mothers' involvement in their children's schools by family type and resident status