By stating that "fatherless families are at risk" is hate speech toward single mothers and the children, it is not only discriminatory towards single parents, but also towards widowed parents too. There is no credible research to assert this theory as a fact due to the factors that lead to the separation such as child abuse and family violence. The damage from family violence is what is the underlying problem that affects one third of the worlds population of women. The world has not forgotten pumpkins mother when her murderer was allowed by New Zealand's Family Court to override protections for victims. Its about time some responsibility for their behavior is taken into account before jumping to conclusions that it is all single mothers who are at fault for "fatherlessness".

Fatherlessness puts children at risk for a number of maladies. To assert otherwise is to insult fathers the world over and to tacitly encourage child abuse by putting selfish politically correct ideology ahead of children's welfare.

To do so is certainly not in the best interests of children.

PLease educate yourself about the risks of fatherlessness:

Sexual activity. In a study of 700 adolescents, researchers found that "compared to families with two natural parents living in the home, adolescents from single-parent families have been found to engage in greater and earlier sexual activity."
Source: Carol W. Metzler, et al. "The Social Context for Risky Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents," Journal of Behavioral Medicine 17 (1994).

A myriad of maladies. Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, suicide, poor educational performance, teen pregnancy, and criminality.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, Washington, DC, 1993.

Drinking problems. Teenagers living in single-parent households are more likely to abuse alcohol and at an earlier age compared to children reared in two-parent households
Source: Terry E. Duncan, Susan C. Duncan and Hyman Hops, "The Effects of Family Cohesiveness and Peer Encouragement on the Development of Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Cohort-Sequential Approach to the Analysis of Longitudinal Data," Journal of Studies on Alcohol 55 (1994).

Drug Use: "...the absence of the father in the home affects significantly the behavior of adolescents and results in the greater use of alcohol and marijuana."
Source: Deane Scott Berman, "Risk Factors Leading to Adolescent Substance Abuse," Adolescence 30 (1995)

Sexual abuse. A study of 156 victims of child sexual abuse found that the majority of the children came from disrupted or single-parent homes; only 31 percent of the children lived with both biological parents. Although stepfamilies make up only about 10 percent of all families, 27 percent of the abused children lived with either a stepfather or the mother's boyfriend.
Source: Beverly Gomes-Schwartz, Jonathan Horowitz, and Albert P. Cardarelli, "Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Treatment," U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Child Abuse. Researchers in Michigan determined that "49 percent of all child abuse cases are committed by single mothers."
Source: Joan Ditson and Sharon Shay, "A Study of Child Abuse in Lansing, Michigan," Child Abuse and Neglect, 8 (1984).

Deadly predictions. A family structure index -- a composite index based on the annual rate of children involved in divorce and the percentage of families with children present that are female-headed -- is a strong predictor of suicide among young adult and adolescent white males.
Source: Patricia L. McCall and Kenneth C. Land, "Trends in White Male Adolescent, Young-Adult and Elderly Suicide: Are There Common Underlying Structural Factors?" Social Science Research 23, 1994.

High risk. Fatherless children are at dramatically greater risk of suicide.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, Washington, DC, 1993.

Suicidal Tendencies. In a study of 146 adolescent friends of 26 adolescent suicide victims, teens living in single-parent families are not only more likely to commit suicide but also more likely to suffer from psychological disorders, when compared to teens living in intact families.
Source: David A. Brent, et al. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Peers of Adolescent Suicide Victims: Predisposing Factors and Phenomenology." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 34, 1995.

Confused identities. Boys who grow up in father-absent homes are more likely that those in father-present homes to have trouble establishing appropriate sex roles and gender identity.
Source: P.L. Adams, J.R. Milner, and N.A. Schrepf, Fatherless Children, New York, Wiley Press, 1984.

Psychiatric Problems. In 1988, a study of preschool children admitted to New Orleans hospitals as psychiatric patients over a 34-month period found that nearly 80 percent came from fatherless homes.
Source: Jack Block, et al. "Parental Functioning and the Home Environment in Families of Divorce," Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27 (1988)

Emotional distress. Children living with a never-married mother are more likely to have been treated for emotional problems.
Source: L. Remez, "Children Who Don't Live with Both Parents Face Behavioral Problems," Family Planning Perspectives (January/February 1992).

Uncooperative kids. Children reared by a divorced or never-married mother are less cooperative and score lower on tests of intelligence than children reared in intact families. Statistical analysis of the behavior and intelligence of these children revealed "significant detrimental effects" of living in a female-headed household. Growing up in a female-headed household remained a statistical predictor of behavior problems even after adjusting for differences in family income.
Source: Greg L. Duncan, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn and Pamela Kato Klebanov, "Economic Deprivation and Early Childhood Development," Child Development 65 (1994).
Unstable families, unstable lives. Compared to peers in two-parent homes, black children in single-parent households are more likely to engage in troublesome behavior, and perform poorly in school.
Source: Tom Luster and Hariette Pipes McAdoo, "Factors Related to the Achievement and Adjustment of Young African-American Children." Child Development 65 (1994): 1080-1094

Beyond class lines. Even controlling for variations across groups in parent education, race and other child and family factors, 18- to 22-year-olds from disrupted families were twice as likely to have poor relationships with their mothers and fathers, to show high levels of emotional distress or problem behavior, [and] to have received psychological help.
Source: Nicholas Zill, Donna Morrison, and Mary Jo Coiro, "Long Term Effects of Parental Divorce on Parent-Child Relationships, Adjustment and Achievement in Young Adulthood." Journal of Family Psychology 7 (1993).

Fatherly influence. Children with fathers at home tend to do better in school, are less prone to depression and are more successful in relationships. Children from one-parent families achieve less and get into trouble more than children from two parent families.
Source: One Parent Families and Their Children: The School's Most Significant Minority, conducted by The Consortium for the Study of School Needs of Children from One Parent Families, co sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the Institute for Development of Educational Activities, a division of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Arlington, VA., 1980

Divorce disorders. Children whose parents separate are significantly more likely to engage in early sexual activity, abuse drugs, and experience conduct and mood disorders. This effect is especially strong for children whose parents separated when they were five years old or younger.
Source: David M. Fergusson, John Horwood and Michael T. Lynsky, "Parental Separation, Adolescent Psychopathology, and Problem Behaviors," Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33 (1944).

Troubled marriages, troubled kids. Compared to peers living with both biological parents, sons and daughters of divorced or separated parents exhibited significantly more conduct problems. Daughters of divorced or separated mothers evidenced significantly higher rates of internalizing problems, such as anxiety or depression.
Source: Denise B. Kandel, Emily Rosenbaum and Kevin Chen, "Impact of Maternal Drug Use and Life Experiences on Preadolescent Children Born to Teenage Mothers," Journal of Marriage and the Family56 (1994).

Hungry for love. "Father hunger" often afflicts boys age one and two whose fathers are suddenly and permanently absent. Sleep disturbances, such as trouble falling asleep, nightmares, and night terrors frequently begin within one to three months after the father leaves home.
Source: Alfred A. Messer, "Boys Father Hunger: The Missing Father Syndrome," Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, January 1989.

Disturbing news: Children of never-married mothers are more than twice as likely to have been treated for an emotional or behavioral problem.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, Hyattsille, MD, 1988

Poor and in trouble: A 1988 Department of Health and Human Services study found that at every income level except the very highest (over $50,000 a year), children living with never-married mothers were more likely than their counterparts in two-parent families to have been expelled or suspended from school, to display emotional problems, and to engage in antisocial behavior.
Source: James Q. Wilson, "In Loco Parentis: Helping Children When Families Fail Them," The Brookings Review, Fall 1993.

Fatherless aggression: In a longitudinal study of 1,197 fourth-grade students, researchers observed "greater levels of aggression in boys from mother-only households than from boys in mother-father households."
Source: N. Vaden-Kierman, N. Ialongo, J. Pearson, and S. Kellam, "Household Family Structure and Children's Aggressive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study of Urban Elementary School Children," Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 23, no. 5 (1995).

Act now, pay later: "Children from mother-only families have less of an ability to delay gratification and poorer impulse control (that is, control over anger and sexual gratification.) These children also have a weaker sense of conscience or sense of right and wrong."
Source: E.M. Hetherington and B. Martin, "Family Interaction" in H.C. Quay and J.S. Werry (eds.), Psychopathological Disorders of Childhood. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979)

Crazy victims: Eighty percent of adolescents in psychiatric hospitals come from broken homes.
Source: J.B. Elshtain, "Family Matters...", Christian Century, July 1993.

Duh to dead: "The economic consequences of a [father's] absence are often accompanied by psychological consequences, which include higher-than-average levels of youth suicide, low intellectual and education performance, and higher-than-average rates of mental illness, violence and drug use."
Source: William Galston, Elaine Kamarck. Progressive Policy Institute. 1993

Expelled: Nationally, 15.3 percent of children living with a never-married mother and 10.7 percent of children living with a divorced mother have been expelled or suspended from school, compared to only 4.4 percent of children living with both biological parents.
Source: Debra Dawson, "Family Structure...", Journal of Marriage and Family, No. 53. 1991.

Violent rejection: Kids who exhibited violent behavior at school were 11 times as likely not to live with their fathers and six times as likely to have parents who were not married. Boys from families with absent fathers are at higher risk for violent behavior than boys from intact families.
Source: J.L. Sheline (et al.), "Risk Factors...", American Journal of Public Health, No. 84. 1994.

That crowd: Children without fathers or with stepfathers were less likely to have friends who think it's important to behave properly in school. They also exhibit more problems with behavior and in achieving goals.
Source: Nicholas Zill, C. W. Nord, "Running in Place," Child Trends, Inc. 1994.

Likeliest to succeed: Kids who live with both biological parents at age 14 are significantly more likely to graduate from high school than those kids who live with a single parent, a parent and step-parent, or neither parent.
Source: G.D. Sandefur (et al.), "The Effects of Parental Marital Status...", Social Forces, September 1992.

Worse to bad: Children in single-parent families tend to score lower on standardized tests and to receive lower grades in school. Children in single-parent families are nearly twice as likely to drop out of school as children from two-parent families.
Source: J.B. Stedman (et al.), "Dropping Out," Congressional Research Service Report No 88-417. 1988.

College odds: Children from disrupted families are 20 percent more unlikely to attend college than kids from intact, two-parent families.
Source: J. Wallerstein, Family Law Quarterly, 20. (Summer 1986)

On their own: Kids living in single-parent homes or in step-families report lower educational expectations on the part of their parents, less parental monitoring of school work, and less overall social supervision than children from intact families.
Source: N.M. Astore and S. McLanahan, Americican Sociological Review, No. 56 (1991)

Double-risk: Fatherless children -- kids living in homes without a stepfather or without contact with their biological father -- are twice as likely to drop out of school.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Survey on Child Health. (1993)

Repeat, repeat: Nationally, 29.7 percent of children living with a never-married mother and 21.5 percent of children living with a divorced mother have repeated at least one grade in school, compared to 11.6 percent of children living with both biological parents.
Source: Debra Dawson, "Family Structure and Children's Well-Being," Journals of Marriage and Family, No. 53. (1991).

Underpaid high achievers: Children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income, single-parent homes. Almost twice as many high achievers come from two-parent homes as one-parent homes.
Source: "One-Parent Families and Their Children;" Charles F. Kettering Foundation (1990).

Dadless and dumb: At least one-third of children experiencing a parental separation "demonstrated a significant decline in academic performance" persisting at least three years.
Source: L.M.C. Bisnairs (et al.), American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, no. 60 (1990)

See also Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family:

http://www.civitas.org.uk/pdf/Experiments.pdf

By Rebecca O'Neill at Civitas.

‘Human beings owe to each other help to distinguish the better from the worse, and encouragement to choose the former and avoid the latter. They should be forever stimulating each other to increased exercise of their higher faculties and increased direction of their feelings and aims towards wise instead of foolish, elevating instead of degrading, objects and contemplations.’
John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859

When mothers are abusive or substance abusing, they can be very detrimental to children. In the US, mothers are far more likely to kill or physically abuse their children than are fathers.

Mothers also see far less punishment when they are found guilty of child abuse: the literature are rife with examples of female child molestors and physical abusers retaining custody of their children to maintain "the mother-child bond", which in many cases can be fatal to the child in question.

Thankfully, we now know that previous sexist assumptions about fathers' inability to parent are sad, bigoted relics from a bygone era. in the US there are over 2 million single fathers, whose children, on average, fare far better than the children of single mothers. The feminist in me will rejoice at the day when mothers leave for work in droves, with fathers free to stay home caring with their children.

Sexists and bigots may feel otherwise, but to most sensible folk, fathers are essential for the enrichment of children's lives.

Push is on to review family law
Selma Milovanovic
May 4, 2009
A NATIONAL campaign against family violence has called for urgent changes to the Family Law Act to protect children from violence by fathers during court-imposed access visits.

In 2006, to emphasise shared parenting, the act was amended to balance the need to protect a child from violence with the child's benefit of having a meaningful relationship with both parents.

But some experts say the two principles are contradictory in cases of family violence.

At a Melbourne rally of Mayday! Safer Family Law Campaign yesterday, family lawyer Sarah Vessali said court practitioners who were out of touch with issues of family violence needed to be better educated in protecting children from harm.

She called for more legal aid funding, saying many women faced court unrepresented as funding had been cut. She said contact centres, which helped domestic violence victims, and crisis accommodation also needed better funding.

Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant said some changes were needed, but in a speech last week she lashed out at campaign organisers, calling them "the loudest and most shrill of voices" who "succeed in attributing blame of the murder of a child to, and only to, the Family Court or family courts".

Chief Justice Bryant has written to federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland suggesting part of the act be repealed, as the wrong interpretation of the law meant some women in custody hearings were less likely to report violence to the court.

She said yesterday she was "hearing a persistent view that the existing legislation gives mixed messages and should have a more obvious protective focus".

The act obliges family courts to take undefined "prompt action" in cases where violence or risk of violence is raised.

In a speech at Queensland University of Technology last week, Chief Justice Bryant said she was concerned about a section of the act that orders the awarding of costs against the party that maliciously makes false allegations of violence.

She said it was commonly misunderstood by families and lawyers to mean costs would be awarded against the complainant if they could not prove the violent act occurred.

She is also urging a review of a part of the act that could be interpreted as unfavourably considering a parent who alleges violence.

Court statistics for 2007-08 show that in litigated cases, 50-50 custody was awarded in only 15 per cent of cases. In 6 per cent of cases the father was banned from contacting the children because of abuse and family violence.

Ms Vessali said she was frustrated by the Family Court which, in most cases, awarded access to children for violent fathers despite the intervention orders her clients held against them.

My ex wife was violent, i never ever retaliated, i went to Kapiti police after she punched me one day in the car with my sons in the back. "What did you deserve that, in NZ it is the man who does the domestic violence" the cop said. I was interviewed for 10 minutes, and she was interviewed for 30 minutes and came out with lots of pamphlets about MALE domestic violence, i was given NOTHING, although she had attacked me ! in previous incidents I was 2cm from losing my eye, i had to go to hospital after she badly clawed my neck and blood spurted from it.

She was unfaitful and then got a Protection Order against me, because "She was scared of me", this was what the Kapiti Womens' Refuge told her to say. I was thrown out of my house that i bought, in just the clothes that i was wearing, thrown out of my sons' life, all due to the false allegations of a woman. I WAS FORCED TO ATTEND AN "Anti Domestic Violence Course" where i learnt about the male abuse wheel. All this before, i had legally defended myself, ie guilty before inocent. I had to pay 1000s of legal fees , she got a free house, DPB, legal fees, all the state help of a "victim". After 3 months, i could see my sons for 2 hours a fortnight but only with an observer from Dr Barnardos

ALL THIS WAS DONE WITH THE CONNIVANCE OF THE STATE using secret courts. The state wants the father to go to work and pay taxes, to recoup the DPB that they have created themselves. The emotional terrorism that fathers and kids endure to the greate injustice is ignored, dads and kids contact is not that important to the state, more important is taxes to pay the MPs travel expenses