Dads make a big difference in our lives. There have been countless studies on the positive impacts on dads in a home, and we’ve pulled out highlights of a few below. These were found on the website Fatherhood.org and pulled from various studies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America — one out of three — live in biological father-absent homes.
Consequently, there is a “father factor” in nearly all of the social issues facing America today.
Children who grow up in father-absent homes are:
| Category | Factor | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Poverty | more likely to be poor | 492% |
| Poverty | likely to be poorer than his father | 154% |
| Poverty | likely to report material hardship | 118.9% |
| Health | infant mortality rates | 180% |
| Health | more likely to die in 1st year of life | 230% |
| Health | more likely to experience depression | 200% |
| Health | more likely to have an affective disorder | 400% |
| Health | More likely to have asthma | 261% |
| Health | More likely to menstruate early | 200% |
| Health | More likely to have early sexual intercourse | 400% |
| Health | More likely to have early pregnancy | 250% |
| Health | More likely to get pregnant as a teen | 700% |
| Abuse | More likely to suffer physical, emotional or educational neglect | 200% |
| Abuse | Higher rate of child abuse | 176% |
| Abuse | Greater risk of being physically abused | 177% |
| Abuse | Greater risk of being harmed by neglect | 187% |
| Abuse | Greater risk of experiencing notable physical neglect | 265% |
| Abuse | Greater risk of suffering emotional neglect | 174% |
| Abuse | Greater risk of suffering serious injury as a result of abuse | 180% |
| Abuse | More likely to smoke, drink or use drugs | 168% |
| Education | More likely to drop out of school | 200% |
| Education | More likely to repeat a grade | 200% |
| Education | Less likely to have parents involved | 124% |
| Education | Less likely to spend time with mother | 187% |
| Education | Less likely to get mostly A’s | 142% |
| Education | Less likely to be read aloud to | 127% |
Note that most of these stats are an inverse of the numbers you see in the graphic, meaning the table shows conditions and statistics for kids WITHOUT a father, instead of the inverse conditions WITH a father as shown above.
