Why Dads Matter
Children without a father figure in their lives experience a range of social problems, including increased rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, crime, substance abuse, poor health and emotional problems. Research also indicates that fatherless children are more likely to struggle academically and are less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood.
The
National Center for Fathering classifies father-absent homes as a national emergency with an estimated 17 million children, or 23 percent of the U.S. population under age 18, living in a home without the physical presence of a father. In 2014, 1 in 5 children in Douglas County were living without a father in a family, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
