Thirty years of high divorce rates and risingbirth rates among unwed mothers have left the United States a nation of fatherless households. More than a third of American children don't live with their biological fathers, and 17 million don't live with any fathers at all. Of those, about 40 percent haven't seen their fathers in a year. As the nation prepares to honor fathers on June 18, child-development experts are hoping a growing nonpartisan, multiracial, “responsible fatherhood” movement, dedicated to reconnecting estranged dads with their kids, will help increase fathers' involvement in their kids' lives. But some question whether having fathers involved in children's lives is essential, while others say that some of the movement's goals -- such as promoting marriage and joint custody -- will hurt mothers.
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CQ Researcher Fatherhood Movement v.10-21 Bio(s)
K Koch, CQ Press Kathy Koch, CQ Researcher's assistant managing editor, previously served as a Researcher staff writer covering education and social issues. She also has covered environmental legislation for CQ Weekly, reported for newspapers in South Florida and freelanced in Asia and Africa for several U.S. newspapers, including The Christian Science Monitor and USA Today. She graduated in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.K Koch, The CQ Researcher Kathy Koch, CQ Researcher's assistant managing editor, previously served as a Researcher staff writer covering education and social issues. She also has covered environmental legislation for CQ Weekly, reported for newspapers in South Florida and freelanced in Asia and Africa for several U.S. newspapers, including The Christian Science Monitor and USA Today. She graduated in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |