New Data: Rates of Father Absence Flat, Negative Effects Remain the Same

Research Compilation, Father Facts, Sixth Edition, Confirms that Kids Need Their Dads

GERMANTOWN, Md., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) has released the sixth edition of its flagship research book, Father Facts, and the new data continues to tell the same story: too many children in America live apart from their dads, and they face serious risks as a result.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110426/DC88568LOGO)

With 100 pages of the latest facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, academic research journals, and government studies, Father Facts, Sixth Edition reveals that NFI's most basic measure of the state of fatherhood in America – the proportion of children who live in a home in which their own father does not live – remains at one in three, translating to over 24 million children nationwide. Moreover, the rate in the African American community is closer to two in three. These rates have been roughly the same for the last decade despite a small decrease in the mid-2000s.

Furthermore, the book's data also reveals that across nearly every measure of child well-being – academic, economic, behavioral, emotional, and social – children who live absent their fathers are significantly more likely to suffer negative consequences.

For example, one study cited in the book found that a 1 percent increase in the proportion of single-parent families in a neighborhood is associated with a 3 percent increase in levels of adolescent violence.

Another study found that children living with a single parent with a live-in partner had more than 8 times the rate of maltreatment, over 10 times the rate of abuse, and more than 6 times the rate of neglect than children living with married, biological parents.

It is this growing body of research that has raised concerns among social science researchers, policymakers, community-based organizations, and advocates for over two decades. The result has been the emergence of what can be called a "fatherhood movement" across America that seeks to increase father involvement in children's lives.

Indeed, due to the work of NFI and other efforts over the last two decades, the 40-year increase in father absence from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, has leveled off. However, the rates remain high and much work remains to be done to ensure that more children are connected to their fathers, heart to heart.

Roland C. Warren, president of NFI said, "The data in Father Facts is a stark reminder of why NFI's work is critical to our children's well-being, and thus our nation's success. The fact that father absence is no longer on the rise is positive, but NFI is committed to more -- ending the father absence crisis in America. Father Facts serves as a clarion call to everyone who is concerned about child well-being that supporting fathers and fatherhood programs is an irreplaceable part of any effort to strengthen our families. Indeed, we don't have a fatherless child to spare."  

In 2006, after several years of support from the private sector, the federal government also began funding programs to help fathers get the skills they need to be positively involved in their children's lives. Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $75 million of funding for fatherhood programs for the next fiscal year. This funding and other efforts by the Bush and Obama Administrations over the past six years has seemingly entrenched fatherhood as part of the domestic policy agenda.  

Since 1994, NFI has led a multi-sector initiative to renew fatherhood. In 1996, NFI, in conjunction with the Ad Council, started the first ever national public service advertising campaign to promote responsible fatherhood. Since then, NFI has also built the nation's largest portfolio of high-quality fatherhood skill-building materials that are offered to community-based practitioners interested in working with fathers. For example, NFI's InsideOut Dad™ program is the most popular fatherhood program in prisons, having been standardized by 23 states and used in nearly 300 facilities nationwide. Finally, NFI is one of the leading producers of research on the causes and consequences of father absence, providing advocates and policymakers with the data they need to generate support for fatherhood-strengthening activities.

Father Facts has been a part of this effort since 1995, when the first edition was released as a one-page fact sheet. Today's sixth edition contains summaries of thousands of studies and Census data published between 2006 and 2011. There are sections on work-family conflict, the consequences of father absence for children, marriage, and essays on culture and fatherhood. Father Facts, Sixth Edition serves as a tool that dads, grant seekers, policymakers, and the press can use to bolster their efforts with hard data about why it is important for children to have involved fathers in their lives.

Father Facts is available at fatherhood.org/fatherfacts.

As the premier fatherhood renewal organization in the country, National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) works in every sector and at every level of society to engage fathers in the lives of their children.  NFI is the #1 provider of fatherhood resources in the nation. Since 2004, through FatherSOURCE™, its national resource center, NFI has distributed over 5.7 million resources, and has trained over 7,600 practitioners from over 3,500 organizations on how to deliver programming to dads. NFI is the most quoted authority on fatherhood in America. Since 2009, NFI has been mentioned in over 1,200 news stories, and makes regular appearances in national media to discuss the importance of involved, responsible, and committed fatherhood. Learn more at fatherhood.org.

SOURCE National Fatherhood Initiative