Americans Are Right: Children Need a Father

Rachel Sheffield / February 18, 2011

The results are in: The majority of Americans continue to agree that children should be raised by both parents.

In a nationally representative study by the Pew Research Center, researchers found that most people still believe that “the growing prevalence of mothers who have no male partners around to help them raise children is bad for society.” While study participants were divided on many issues of changing family trends, nearly all agreed that this trend is negative for the nation.

Said Professor Andrew Cherlin of Johns Hopkins University: “Many people, including single parents themselves, question single-parent families. There’s still a strong belief that children need two parents.”

Considering that a strong body of research that shows the negative implications of father absence for children—along with the economic difficulties faced in single-parent homes—the poll results are good news. (more…)