The Effects Of Fatherly Absence On Teenage Pregnancy

The role of the father, a male figure in a child’s life is a very crucial role that has been diminishing over the years. An absent father can be defined in two ways; the father is physically not present, or the father is physically present, but emotionally present. To an adolescent, a father is an idolized figure, someone they look up to (Feud, 1921), thus when such a figure is an absent one, it can and will negatively affect a child’s development. Many of the problems we face in society today, such as crime and delinquency, poor academic achievement, divorce, drug use, early pregnancy and sexual activity can be attributed to fathers being absent during adolescent development (Popenoe, 1996; Whitehead, 1993). The percentage of

In general girls who grow up without fathers are more likely to experience problems with relationships than girls who grow up with a father. "Adolescent girls raised in fatherless households are far more likely to engage in promiscuous sexual activity before marriage, to cohabit, to get pregnant out of wedlock and to have an abortion" (Krohn& Bogan, 599). The father is helpful in developing a daughter's femininity and in their sexual development (Williamson, 208). Women who had absent fathers growing up tend to have idealized relationships with men, as a hope to get their lost father back, but then comes to the realization that the relationship is flawed and end up disappointed, only to start the cycle over again (Gill, 225). In some interesting statistics, 60% of strippers come from an absent father (Adams, Milner, Schrepf, 171). Females in single parent homes as opposed to intact ones are 53% more likely to marry as teenagers, 111% more likely to have children as teenagers and 92% more likely to divorce if they marry (Krohn& Bogan, 599).

Family is the first contact an infant experiences and the environment child is raised determines their behaviors and social development. Father figures just like mother figures are important in raising and socializing children in becoming responsible people as they grow. Numerous researches to determine importance of fathers in early child development have been carried out and majority of them found out that just like mothers, the role fathers play in early childhood development including mental, psychological and physical development are crucial. The studies show that, children raised by single mothers are likely to have problems such as drug abuse, engagement in early sexual behaviors and other unsocial behaviors as compared to those raised by both parents. The paper will explore the role of fathers in child rearing, discussing strategies in raising children and exploring pros and cons of such strategies.

For various reasons, many children in the United States are living without their fathers in their homes or absent from their lives entirely. This is an issue all across the world and the children are having to deal with the disadvantages caused by the lack of support from their fathers. This issue has a significant effect on society and can be viewed and interpreted from the three sociological perspectives. As a result of many studies, it was found that children raised in father absent homes almost universally experience disadvantages such as: worse health, poorer academic achievement, and a less enjoyable educational experience. There are many variables that need to be taken into effect when considering

The stress associated with the inability to bond in satisfactory ways with a father or father figure may constitute the same kind of stress that a physically absent father does, resulting in earlier onset of sexual activity and the risk of ensuing pregnancy. Assessment of the quality of a paternal-child relationship may be as important as whether or not such a relationship exists.”(p.

A father is a very important figure in a child’s life. They help raise and guide their child so they can have a successful life in the future. Father’s always want what’s best for their kids and most of the time they will sacrifice what they have for their children. Without fathers, children today would be out of control and running amok. This is evident in the present and is becoming more prevalent around the world. Fathers are needed in child’s life so they can help educate their children on a respectful lifestyle. There are long term consequences when a father a is not there for their child.

In today’s ever changing world of family problems and instability, fathers are becoming a very scarce commodity. There is a major crisis brewing in the United States and the family unit is coming under siege. (According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 24 four million children live without a father, that’s one out of every three children living in a home with one of the supporting pillars in a family.) With the father absence in these child lives, they become more prone to various problems in life later on. Everything from dropping out of school to going to prison, the chances of this happening increase dramatically.

The experiment has gone on for over forty years. Decades of sociological evidence now illuminate the “liberated family.” In the light of this evidence, I will evaluate the claim that that a father’s absence in a family has no significant impact on the development of children. To put the matter bluntly, the cultural advocates of this new thinking were simply wrong, and the result of adopting their views has proved a disaster for families, for mothers, for children, and for fathers. To demonstrate the falsity of the claim, I will explore two major symptoms of the disaster: Divorce and the Family and Poverty and the Family. These will highlight the importance of the father to family health. I will then offer a Christian alternative to the current thinking—the Christian Father as the Family’s Servant Leader, an alternative by which godly fathers give support to mothers, offer security for children, and develop a new generation that is disciplined in the wisdom and knowledge of God.

When a father is not in his child’s life, the absence plays a strong role in many societal matters like

For the past several years, research on the impact of fatherlessness has drastically increased. Though it has always been known that a father presence has value for a child, within the last ten years data and studies have shown the depth and extent of that value on a child’s life. As an educator for over 30 years and a high school principal for the last 13 years, I have seen firsthand the ill effects on students that come from homes of absentee fathers. If I could eliminate one thing in our world today that would save future generations, I would eliminate “fatherlessness”. Today’s world is one in which many fathers

The effects of a fatherless single parent family home are numerous. Children raised in fatherless single parent family homes are prone to delinquency, are more likely to have confused identities (boys), they are also at greater risk to suicide, they tend to engage in greater and earlier sexual activity, they are disproportionately the victims of sexual abuse. They are more likely to be poor: have more health problems, have more trouble in school, are more likely to become teen parents, are more likely

loss of the paternal function (Ancona,1998). At its core, the fatherhood crises stems from the

Close your eyes and imagine this. People arguing and screaming left and right but your so innocent you don’t know what they are saying. Then out of nowhere your mom picks you up and you leave the only house you ever knew. Without your father, before a child reaches the age of 18, more than half of our nations kids are likely to spend at least most of their time without their father. About 36% of children live with an absent biological parent. However, 40% of children in the western world goes to bed in a house where their father is not present. In a lot of cases, children that have separated parents are reported dead center in their argument, this leaves the child left wondering about the absence of that parent.

Ellis et al, 2012) girls are directly and indirectly affected by the amount of care and investment fathers place upon them which serves as a foundational understanding of the acceptable social and sexual roles, and behaviors they should be able to carry out through their lifetime. This theory serves as groundwork for assessing the factors that these girls experience because of a lack of paternal engagement. These factors include early sexual behavior which can lead to the development of STDs and perhaps a later cycle in where they may also get a divorce when being in a marital relationship (DelPriore & Hill, 2013).

As a child, people are in the most delicate phase of life. They are a freshly budded lily, absorbing all the light, moisture, and nutrients possible in order to bloom into an adult. These essential fertilizers predominantly come from their parents, who nurture them into the person they will become. This unit commonly consists of a mother and father. The mother a symbol of intimacy and maternal comfort, and the father a symbol of strength and stature. The balance of this yin and yang is extremely important for the development of the psyche. Having a fatherless childhood or a childhood with a degenerate father is common in today’s society. The effects of not having a father figure ripple through childhood and lay roots in the subconscious.