As newspapers bulge with advertisements for Father’s Day gifts, it’s a good time to reflect on the long-term and irreplaceable value that dads add to their children’s lives. Far more important than the ties featured in store displays is the precious “paternal tie” that serves as a foundation for a youth’s successful and fulfilling future.
Decades of research has documented the link between fathers’ presence and engagement with their children and outcomes, ranging from promoting academic performance and emotional well-being to deterring anti-social and self-destructive behavior.
One of the effects of a father’s presence in the home that is most clear from the social science research is economic. Children who grow up with both parents are 82 percent less likely to live in poverty and enjoy benefits in a spectrum of economic measures. On average, their families have a higher net worth, higher income, more household assets, and greater savings. And a father’s presence has impacts that reach far into the future: Children whose fathers are in the home are more likely to move up the economic ladder as adults.
A father’s role goes far beyond that of breadwinner, however, influencing his children’s well-being, behavior, and choices. Youths who grow up with both a mother and father in the home are less likely to engage in high-risk behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse. Girls whose fathers are present are less likely to become sexually active or give birth in high school or outside marriage. Likewise, a father’s presence is a safeguard against delinquent and anti-social behavior. On average, youths living with both parents are less likely to engage in violent behavior, commit a property crime, or be incarcerated.
In addition, teens whose fathers are present tend to fare better on a range of emotional and psychological outcomes: They are more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem and social competence, and they are less likely to experience depression or anxiety.
Given all of the above, it is not surprising that children raised in two-parent families tend to have greater academic achievement and higher levels of educational attainment, and they tend to score higher in math and reading, even in the earliest grades.
Dads should be honored and recognized for the powerful and long-term positive influence they have on the lives of their children. They deserve such recognition not just on Father’s Day but every day.
