Preview

The Influence Of Fatherlessness On Children

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
748 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Influence Of Fatherlessness On Children
In considering the impact of a father’s absence on African American male children, it is worth investigating the historical influences that have lead to this epidemic. History has revealed that the prevalence of young African American men leaving their partners and their children is a trend that triggers unacceptable behavior, low self-esteem, menial academic achievement, a bleak outlook on life, and higher chances of passing the absent-father cycle (Fields, 201). Studies show that 80% of all African American children spend most of their childhood lives without an active father largely due to non-marital childbearing (Usdansky, 2008). With these statistics in mind, mental, emotional and financial stability are difficult to maintain due to the stresses of not having a father (Greif, Jones, Worthy, White, Davis & Pitchford, 2011). The catalyst to triggering absent fathers in the African American culture began as early as the slavery era. Men in slavery were taken away from the home and family households were managed by African American mothers; however, the African American family strongly believed in the institution of marriage (Debell, 2008). As time …show more content…
Stories about the effects of absent fathers are frequent and findings have shown major and overwhelming effects on children (Sieber, 2008). The number of African American female-headed households has continually increased over the past ten years, despite fatherhood being characterized as one of the most valuable components of a male’s life (Fleck, Hudson, Abbott & Reisbig, 2013). Statistics from 2011 show that fatherlessness affects children in the following ways: 90% of homeless children are fatherless; 85% of fatherless children have behavior disorders; 30% are at a higher risk for teen pregnancy; 40% repeat a grade in school; 71% drop out of school; 75% are drug users; and 85% are in correctional facilities (Osborne & McLanahan,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Delano Squires 'Confronting The Crisis Of Father Absence'?
    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Delano Squires 'Confronting The Crisis Of Father Absence'?

    Growing up in a household without a father has become very common in today’s time, especially within the African American population. There are many children who are being raised without a father figure in their life, and over the years, the disappearance of family-centered males has caused a great concern among black communities around the world. Delano Squires, addresses these issues with the help of Aristotle‘s three strategies for an effective argumentation in his article, “Confronting the Crisis of Father Absence”. Delano Squires uses several strategies to establish credibility, appeal to his/her reader’s logic, and appeal to the reader‘s emotions.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Parenting Roles: Gadsden, Vivian And Aisha
    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page

    Parenting Roles: Gadsden, Vivian And Aisha

    Fathers' records proposed that numerous fathers felt tested by the beliefs connected to parenting roles, a test that was aggravated by their own particular reserved formal proficiency limits and, their yearning to encourage their children's early educational development. Fathers' opinions about their children's instructive achievement and future possible outcomes were undecided, frequently suggesting their practices, and some of the time were unpredictable with their self-impression of encouraging children's education accomplishment. The researches Gadsden, Vivian and Aisha remind us that low-salary African American fathers are a diverse crowd, not just in their education abilities, proficiency involvements, education planning, and standards…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

    This book highlights some modern problems affecting most African American men and families. It also sheds light on how important the family unit is and having a thriving support system when trying to raise children in a society where parents are forced to work two and three jobs just to make ends meet. Both parents of both Wes Moores, they were single-parents doing the best that they could with what they had. Both mothers had to work jobs that required them to spend precious time away from their children. This sounds like the fate of most single-parents and their children (Moore 48). Joy, she worked two jobs in order to send her children to private school and Mary worked to provide for her family (Moore 47). Each families support system became very important. Joy’s son support system was mainly his grandparents when she was at work (Moore 47). However, Mary’s son support system was his older brother who was not a positive role model (Moore 71). The lessons that both young men had an impact in their lives and help to shape their…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow
    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow

    In chapter five of Michelle Alexander’s book entitled, “The New Jim Crow”, she tackles the topic that most of the Americans ignore. In the beginning of this chapter, she mentioned president Barack Obama’s speech on father’s day. In Obama’s he stated that many fathers are missing or MIA, and AWOL with their responsibilities. This scenarios can perfectly describe African Americans family, where many children does not have their fathers by their side. As Alexander argues, “a black child born today is less likely to be raised by both parents than a black child born during slavery.” Though it may be true that many fathers are MIA, it can be argued that these fathers did not leave their families voluntarily. The reason why these men are missing…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Case Study: The Absence Of Father Figure In Latino Children
    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Case Study: The Absence Of Father Figure In Latino Children

    Having a father definitely makes a difference in a child’s life. He is someone who hugs when things are troublesome and when you look for an advice. Feeling fatherhood is a transformative experience for children, no matter the father is traditional, step dad or long distant dad, but yes if he’s there he makes a prominent figure in a child’s life. The proposal statement depicts an important issue about an American demographic, the Latino children. The study focuses to measure the propensity of criminal activity in Latino children due the absence of the fatherly figure in their life (Mayo, 2011, pp. 49-61).…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cause And Effect Essay On Lisa Mancini'strenghters '
    • 5293 Words
    • 22 Pages

    Cause And Effect Essay On Lisa Mancini'strenghters '

    Table of Contents I. II. III. IV. V. VI. Abstract Introduction Definition of Father Absence Divorce and Father Absence Other Explanations of Father Absence Effects of Father Absence on Daughters a. Teenage Pregnancy b. Promiscuity c. Emotional Effects d. Poverty e. Education VII. VIII. IX. X. Pains of Father Absence Definition of a Positive Father Figure Appendices Bibliography…

    • 5293 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Structural Family Therapy
    • 2106 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Structural Family Therapy

    This research paper will in detail find influences donating to the degeneration of African American marriages, increase of African American divorces, and how structural family therapy can impact it. Structural Family Therapy was developed by Salvador Minuchin and his associates in the 1960s due to the growing curiosity in alternative ways of hypothesizing suffering and familial dilemmas. Structural family therapy is reinforced by an undoubtedly expressed model of family functioning, and has been developed and used reliably in counseling sessions for children and their families (Ginginch & Worthington, 2007, 343). Also, this report will examine what can be done to change this disturbing status amongst African American families. Monetary, emotional, and cognitive stability are a few of the common reasons and profits of marriage. Studies have discovered that marital couples in contrast to unattached couples are better-off, healthier, less stressed, and tend to live well into their mid-80s (Pindgerhughes, 2002, p. 269). Thus, there are numerous welfares of being married; it could be assumed that matrimony would be a shared objective for most citizens regardless of race. However, studies have publicized a radical deterioration of marriages inside the African…

    • 2106 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Black Family Relationships Research Paper
    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Black Family Relationships Research Paper

    As previously mentioned, poverty, unemployment, health disparities, incarceration and financial hardships are contributing factors to the decline in healthy relationships between black men and women. However, newly released census data reveals that the number of black children being raised by two parents is increasing at nearly 40% (Census Bureau, 2012). Non-traditional households are also being formed such as unmarried parents living together and raising children. History plays a large part in the psychology of black family relationships and the study of this history will help bring change in the future and aid in creating better relationships in the black…

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Father Involvement In Urban Low Income Fathers
    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Father Involvement In Urban Low Income Fathers

    The couples who were interested in the study were screened for various criteria. The criteria determined mainly the length of time the couples were involved in a committed relationship, if the couples had lived together for at least six months, if the couples were co-parenting at least one child under the age of 18, and the income level of the couples (Reinks et al., 2011) In doing this it would be easier to address the factors that may interfere with father involvement. Additionally, there were questionnaires to gather information on the ways in which individuals function and parent by themselves as well as in a relationship. Male participants were of different racial backgrounds, as to ensure that the study was ethnically diverse. 112 men participated and the breakdown is as follows: 34.3% African American, 21.9% Hispanic, 26.3% Caucasians, 6.6% American Indian, and 10.9% biracial/multiracial (Reinks et al.,…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    School shooting research paper
    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    School shooting research paper

    Gender roles in raising a family are a controversial topic in many homes today. Many people still believe that it should still be the man as the primary source of income, and that the woman should stay and raise the kids, while taking care of the home. Many dads today are abandoning this stereotype, and they choose to do a little bit of everything.” I think modern fathers take on many more roles.” (Linn) This resulting in being there for more of the child’s life, and playing a more active role in their childhood.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Poverty In African-American Families
    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Poverty In African-American Families

    This study predicts the involvement of young African-American fathers. Analysis is based on a sample of men who have become fathers by age 22, 67% of which are African American. The hypothesis is that for African American fathers, fulfilling a father role is related to the success of transition to adult roles and relationships. Results suggested that African American fathers do no differ significantly from other young fathers in their contact with and support provided to their eldest biological child.…

    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Achievement Gap Analysis
    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Achievement Gap Analysis

    As addressed by President Obama in his 2008 Father’s Day speech, getting father’s back into the business of nurturing children is highly applaudable. Like a symbolic interactionism, family itself is a symbol, not an objective, concrete reality. As interactionist, I am of the opinion that fathers and mothers should work together despite being a family of procreation to construct a family for the emotional well-being, social skills, and intellectual growth of the children which will greatly bring about a rise in the achievement gap hence pushing the effects of deprivation and isolation out of the Black communities.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    African American Family Essay
    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    African American Family Essay

    Life among a large portion of the Urban African American population is casual, precarious, and fragmentary. It lack continuity and its roots so not go deeper than the contingencies of daily living. This affects the socialization of African American children. With a fourth to a third of African American families in cities without a male head, man African American children suffer the initial handicap of not having the discipline and authority in the home. African American mothers who have the responsibility for the support of the family are forced to neglect their children who pick up all forms of socially disapproved behavior in the disorganized areas in which these families are concentrated. (Tucker, 1995, pp. 4)…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Spend Less Than You Earn
    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Spend Less Than You Earn

    Father absence refers to the situation in which a child does not have his/her biological father dwelling with them in a common home (it does not apply to children whose father have died) and may occur as a result of cultural, economic and social factors. Alarmingly, in several modern societies, a bizarre concept is accepted where men’s participation in child care is not encouraged as any sign of tenderness is shied away from and men are urged to “toughen-up” and be strong. “In Trinidad, the extended family of parents, sisters, grandmothers, cousins, aunts, ‘pumpkin vine’ family and even neighbours all vie excitedly to take care of a new baby (Awong-Persaud, 2011)”, which results in the marginalization of the father. The poor economic conditions present in several Caribbean countries is also a reason Caribbean men are missing in the homes as they are often motivated to migrate in pursuit of better wages and more hopeful futures. As a…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Family Problems
    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Family Problems

    I believe that a boy or young man growing up needs a father. Don’t get me wrong a child with only a mother throughout they life can overcome some obstacles but not most. I mean having uncles and grandfathers can help but I believe you need that dad figure in your life. A mother can teach you manners, how to act in certain places and a lot more but a father shows you how to be a man. All fathers aren’t men though; some men are not responsible and disrespect their wife. Family problems can vary from a wide range of how the parents were raised; it’s a reoccurring cycle in my eyes. What I mean by that is if a boy experienced his father beat his mother, it’s a chance he will beat his wife and if they have a child that child might see that and do it. Or maybe if a boy never seen his father he might not be around his child to see him develop or grow up which goes into a child needing to be taught to be a man. Some fathers can teach a boy how to be strong, respectful, and a provider for a family, but we don’t have too many of those fathers in today’s society especially in the black community. If men would step up and be a father and show respect to the women in their life things would change. Men in the family show the boys to respect and teach the boys how to go about courting a women or a young lady, and they can show their little girls how they should be treated by young men and how they should approach you as a young lady. Also teach young ladies how to uphold yourself as a young lady, you don’t have to wear revealing clothing to get attention, cause that attention you looking for goes towards those young…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics