Paternal Involvement
It is quite usual in our society for the mother to be the primary caregiver to a newborn baby, toddlers and kids. That is not to say that fathers are absent, but the stereotype of Super Mom has been created by a general tendency to place fathers in the workforce and mothers in the home. In 2022, the US Census Bureau reported that 1 in 4 children in the US grow up without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home– that amounts to 18.4 Million children!
The National Fatherhood Initiative reports several negative effects associated with paternal absence in the home, some of which include:
- 4x greater risk of poverty for the family
- Children are more likely to have behavioral problems, which may lead to them dropping out of school, teen pregnancies, imprisonment, drug and alcohol abuse, commiting crimes etc.
- Greater chances of facing emotional neglect and abuse.
On the other hand, a father’s active and involved presence in the home can mean a strong foundation for the well-being of the children, including some of the following advantages:
- Lower rates of injuries, emotional and behavioral problems, and obesity
- The chances of low birth weight and infant mortality significantly decrease as well
- School performance is increased
In 2017, King’s College London and Oxford University Researchers found that actively involved fathers, and especially those who contribute in their childs’ life in the first few months, are providing significant developmental advantages to their children. Involved fathers positively impact their children’s cognitive functioning, improve breastfeeding rates, and even help preterm infants gain healthy weight. High levels of father involvement correlate with higher levels of social confidence, good social skills, self-control, and overall boosted emotional well-being. Such as the negative effects of fatherly absence persist into adulthood, so do the positive effects of fatherly involvement: the presence of both parents leads to adult children who are more emotionally mature, and better equipped to make mature and wise decisions in their teenage and young adult years.
It is important to remember that it is the quality and not the quantity of paternal involvement that can have a great effect on children’s lives: non-resident fathers can still have a great impact on the psychological and mental well being of their children, as well as on their academic achievements and behavioral adjustments. Children with actively involved fathers are more likely to perform better in school, and to follow through with their college and graduate education. Even more specifically, father involvement shows reduced risk for behavioral problems and delinquency in boys, and reduced risk of psychological problems and rates of depression in young women.
https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/a-fathers-impact-on-child-development/
https://www.fatherhood.org/father-absence-statistic