I frequently speak to groups about the importance of father engagement to outcomes for children—physically, mentally, behaviorally, and academically. I also say that even if you didn’t care a thing about how children fare, you might still be interested in all of us are impacted by how much time a father spends with his children. The following statistics are included in The Boy Crisis by Warren Farrell, PhD and John Gray, PhD. They represent some of the latest research on the important of fathers to community safety.
The Boy Crisis is available at a discount through the Good Dads website (https://www. gooddads.com). You can also hear more from Dr. Farrell in the June 7th podcast, available on the Good Dads website or through your regular podcast host.
Community Safety Outcomes
Father absence predicts the profile of both the bully and the bullied: poor self-esteem, poor grades, and poor social skills.
Boys living with dads have better enforced boundaries, leading to better impulse control and fewer discipline problems.
Around 90% of homeless and runaway youths are from fatherless homes. Children between ten and seventeen living without their biological dads were more likely to be victims of child abuse, major violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
Every 1% increase in fatherlessness in a neighborhood predicts a 3% increase in adolescent violence.
Among youths in prisons, 85% grew up in a fatherless home. Prisons are basically centers for dad-deprived young men.
Adolescents without their biological dads who were raised in step-families face even higher incarcerations rates than in single-mom families.
Among children raised without dads and teen mothers, it is the boys who experience “alarmingly high levels of pathology”: substance abuse and criminal activity. These problems remain far greater for boys into adulthood.
Even when controlling for socioeconomic variables, children whose only “dads” are sperm donors are:
a. twice as likely to have problems with the law before age 25;
b. more than 2.5 times as likely to struggle with substance abuse; and
c. slightly more likely to experience problems with depression and mental health.
Absence of dad contributes to violent crime as much as absence of income.
Among criminals assessed as raping out of anger and rage, 80% came from father-absent homes.
Many of the lone school shooters were dad deprived.
Dad-deprived boys search for structure and respect in gangs.
Dad deprivation increases the likelihood of teenage motherhood.
Children age 10 to 17 living with their biological parents were less likely to witness violence in their families compared to peers living in both single-parent families and step-families.
