There is a wide range of research and statistics related to the effect that father involvement and father absence can have on their children. These statistics give an overview of some of the statistics about fathers and father involvement that is available.
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Census Fatherhood Statistics
What is the Importance of Fathers?
Father Involvement and Education
More on What the Research Says
Census Fatherhood Statistics
Source:
www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff11.html
- 67.8 million - Estimated number of fathers across the nation
- 25.8 million - Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2009.
- 22 percent were raising three or more children younger than 18 (among married-couple family households only).
- 3 percent lived in someone else's home.
- 1.7 million - Number of single fathers in 2009; 15 percent of single parents were men.
- 8 percent were raising three or more children younger than 18.
- About 47 percent were divorced, 29 percent were never married, 18 percent were separated, and 5 percent were widowed.
- 44 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.
- 85% - Among the 30.2 million fathers living with children younger than 18, the percentage who lived with their biological children only. In addition, 11 percent lived with stepchildren, 4 percent with adopted children and fewer than 1 percent with foster children.
- 158,000 - Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2009. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 290,000 children.
- 53% and 71% - Percentages of children younger than 6 who ate breakfast and dinner, respectively, with their father every day in 2006. The corresponding percentages who ate with their mother were 58 percent and 80 percent. (The percentages of children who ate breakfast with their mother or father, respectively, were not significantly different from each another.)
- 36% - Percentage of children younger than 6 who had 15 or more outings with their father in the last month, as of 2006.
- 6 - Average times children ages 3 to 5 were read to by their fathers in the past week, as of 2006.
What is the Importance of Fathers?
Source: The Father Factor: How Father Absence Affects Our Youth. National Fatherhood Initiative.
Father’s come in all different varieties. Involved and responsible father’s that are present in the lives of their children contribute to improved out comes for kids, families, and whole communities.
Here are a few facts from the research highlighting the positive affect a father’s presence in his child’s life can have:
- Who Needs Fathers?
- Can Fathers Reduce Child Poverty?
- Can Fathers Promote Physical Health and Safety?
- Can Fathers Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect?
- Can Fathers Prevent Substance Abuse?
Who Needs Fathers?
- Research results show that 24 million children (34 percent) live absent their biological father.
- Research does show that children living with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents are less likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers with absent fathers.
Can Fathers Reduce Child Poverty?
The presence of a responsible father significantly reduces child poverty.
- Research results show that children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor.
- According to the U.S. Census, in 2008, only 5.5 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 10.3 percent of all children.
Can Fathers Promote Physical Health and Safety?
The presence of a responsible father promotes physical health and safety among children.
- Research results show that father presence can foster healthy physical, emotional, and social development.
- A growing body of research shows that children are healthier when fathers are involved in the daily care of their children's health and safety.
Can Fathers Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect?
The presence of a responsible father prevents child abuse and neglect.
- Research results show that the presence of a father in the home lowers the likelihood that a child will be physically and/or emotionally abused and neglected.
- Other results show that compared to living with both parents, living in a single parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional or educational neglect.
Can Fathers Prevent Substance Abuse?
The presence of a responsible father reduces the likelihood that children will suffer substance abuse.
- Research results show that father closeness serves a protective factor against the use and abuse of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and hard-drugs during adolescents.
- Thus, reducing father absence reduces the probability that children abuse substances.
Father Involvement and Education
When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, their children learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behavior. Even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. There are countless ways to be involved in your child’s education at all ages.
According to a 2007 National Center for Education Statistics Report:
- 92% of students in grades K though 12 had parents who reported receiving any information from the school on the student’s performance.
- 83% had parents who received any information about how to help with homework.
- 59% of students in grades K through 12 had parents who were "very satisfied" with their child’s school; 55% had parents who were very satisfied with the school’s parent-staff interactions.
The presence of a responsible father promotes improves academic performance and reduces disciplinary problems among children.
- Research shows that even very young children who have experienced high father involvement show an increase in curiosity and in problem solving capacity. Fathers’ involvement seems to encourage children’s exploration of the world around them and confidence in their ability to solve problems.
- Pruett, Kyle D. 2000. Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. New York: Free Press.
- When non-custodial fathers are highly involved with their children’s learning, the children are more likely to get A's at all grade levels.
- National Center for Education Statistics. October 1997. Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools; National Household Education Survey. NCES 98-091R2. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
More on What the Research Says
- Highly involved fathers also contribute to increased mental dexterity in children, increased empathy, less stereotyped sex role beliefs and greater self-control.
- Abramovitch, H. 1997. Images of the "Father" in The Role of the Father in Child Development. M.E. Lamb, Ed., New York: John Wiley & Sons.
- Nonresident father contact with children and involvement in their schools within the past year are associated with the same three factors: fathers paying child support; custodial mothers being more educated; and custodial homes not experiencing financial difficulties.
- National Center for Education Statistics. October 1997. Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children’s Schools; National Household Education Survey. NCES 98-091R2. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
- High involvement at the early childhood level - frequency with which parents interact with their young children, such as how often they read, tell stories and sign and play with their children. These experiences contribute to children’s language and literacy development and transmit information and knowledge about people, places and things.
- Bredekamp, S. and Copple, C. 1997. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
