Father Absence and the Welfare of Children - Introduction - Key Findings on Family Structure

Sep 4, 2026

Upload by Connor

The chapter examines how rising divorce and non-marital childbearing have changed American children’s family experiences, producing new uncertainty about the consequences of father absence. Using findings from multiple large nationally representative surveys, it evaluates whether children raised apart from biological fathers fare worse than those raised by both parents, quantifies differences, and identifies which groups are most affected. It further explains mechanisms, emphasizing economic insecurity, reduced parental time and supervision, and diminished social capital, while discussing whether disadvantages precede disruption or result from father absence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatDOCX

Pages32

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Questions

Key Findings

Explanations for Differences

HYPERLINK "http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/macarthur/membersNEWindex.htm" HYPERLINK "http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/macarthur/Internet%20Resources.html" HYPERLINK "http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/macarthur/contact.htm" contact info | HYPERLINK "http://www.macfdn.org" more about the Father Absence and the Welfare of Children By Sara McLanahan Introduction Increases in divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing have dramatically altered the family life of American children. Whereas in the early 1960s, nearly 90 percent of all children lived with both of their biological parents until they reached adulthood, today less than half of children grow up with both natural parents. Nearly a third are born to unmarried parents, the majority of whom never live together, and another third are born to married parents who divorce before their child reaches adulthood. To further complicate matters, a substantial number of children are exposed to multiple marital disruptions and multiple father figures. These changes have created tremendous uncertainty in children's lives and have led to considerable speculation among policy makers and the public more generally about the consequences of father absence. Some analysts argue that growing up with a single mother is the primary cause of many of the country's most serious social problems, including poverty, high school dropout, teen pregnancy, and delinquency (Popenoe, 1988, 1996; Whitehead, 1993; Blankenhorn, 1995). Others argue that poverty and economic insecurity are the real culprits, causing both father absence and adolescent behavioral problems (Skolnick, 1991; Stacy, 1993). Still others claim that the problems associated with family disruption are rooted in marital discord that begins long before the parents separate or divorce. To bring empirical evidence to bear on this debate, my colleagues and I have been analyzing several large, nationally representative surveys that contain information on children's family structure growing up as well as their educational attainment and social adjustment in young adulthood. In this chapter, I summarize the major findings from this work as it pertains to the following questions: Are children raised apart from their biological fathers worse off than children raised by both parents? How large are the differences and which groups of children are most affected? What factors account for the lower achievement of children in one-parent families? What factors are associated with resilience? And finally, Do differences in children's wellbeing predate family disruption or are they are a consequence of father absence? Our investigation has been going on for over 10 years now and covers more than 10 data sets. The most important of these are the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), the High School and Beyond Study (HSB), and the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). All of these surveys are large enough to allow us to distinguish among different types of single parent families, including families headed by never-married mothers as well as families headed by divorced or separated mothers and remarried mothers. These surveys also allow us to compare differences between boys and girls raised in one- and two-parent families as well as differences between children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and different social classes. HYPERLINK "http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/macarthur/working%20papers/wp-mclanahan2.htm" \l "1" 1 To summarize briefly, we find that children who grow up apart from their biological fathers do less well, on average, than children who grow up with both natural parents. They are less likely to finish high school and attend college, less likely to find and keep a steady job, and more likely to become teen mothers. The differences are not huge. Indeed, most children who grow up with a single parent do quite well. Nor are they large enough to support the claim that father absence

FAQs

What does the chapter investigate about father absence?

It asks whether children raised away from their biological fathers are worse off than children raised by both parents, how large those differences are, and what factors explain lower achievement or resilience.

Which surveys provide the chapter’s evidence?

The analysis draws on several large nationally representative datasets, including PSID, NLSY, HSB, and NSFH, which track family structure and later outcomes.

What outcomes does the chapter associate with father absence?

On average, children who grow up without their biological fathers are less likely to finish high school or attend college, less likely to maintain steady employment, and more likely to become teen mothers.

Why might father absence reduce a child’s chances of success?

The chapter argues that fathers living apart share less income, leading to economic insecurity, and it also points to reduced parental time and supervision and loss of social capital tied to residential mobility.

Sep 4, 2026

Upload by Connor