John Knight's Fatherhood Statistics - Fathering Magazine

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <CENTER> <A TARGET=_top HREF="http://www.fathermag.com/"> <IMG SRC="http://www.fathermag.com/imx/entry1.gif" BORDER=0 WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60></A> <P> <BR> Fatherhood Statistics<BR> by John Knight<BR> </CENTER> <BR> <BR> <BR> Index<BR> <BR> * Affirmative Action<BR> * Child Abuse<BR> * Child Murder<BR> * Child Custody<BR> * "Child Support"<BR> * Discrimination Against Men<BR> * Divorce<BR> * Domestic Violence<BR> * Education<BR> * Family Breakup<BR> * Fatherlessness<BR> * Incarceration<BR> * Life Expectancy<BR> * Single-Mother Households<BR> * Suicide Rate<BR> * Taxation<BR> * Wealth<BR> * Welfare<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Important Articles on Fatherhood<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Armin Brott on Battered Domestic Violence Statistics<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Mark Charalambous, Coalition for the Preservation of Fatherhood on<BR> Discrimination Against Men<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> COPS -- Coalition of Parental Support -- Fatherlessness<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Kingsley Morse on Fatherlessness<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> John A. Rossler on Domestic Violence<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> James Sniechowski & Judith Sherven on Domestic Violence<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Callifornia Governor Wilson's Fatherhood Summit On Fatherlessness<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Affirmative Action<BR> * Affirmative action is discriminatory against men by design, and<BR> benefits women more than it does any other "minority group" [i.e.,<BR> men are a "minority group" because they constitute 48% of the<BR> population, but affirmative action does not work to their<BR> benefit].<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Child Abuse<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Child Murder <BR> * Per the Department of Justice, 55% of child murders are by their<BR> own mothers, and 6% are by their biological fathers, making<BR> mothers 9 times more likely to murder their children than<BR> biological fathers.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Child Custody<BR> * Don King (donking@primenet.com or 909-698-5834) has official State<BR> of California statistics that show only 3.4% of California fathers<BR> get custody.<BR> *<BR> <BR> This data is from "Advance Report of Final Divorce Statistics,<BR> 1989 and 1990," National Center for Health Statistics,<BR> Sally C. Clarke In 1990, from 19 reporting states,<BR> percent of custody:<BR> Awarded to husbands: 8.7<BR> Awarded to wives: 72<BR> Awarded to joint custody 15.7<BR> Awarded to other persons: 1.3<BR> Awarded to combination: 2.4<BR> <BR> * As we know "joint custody" often means maternal custody in<BR> practice. So a safe estimate on the basis of these figures is that<BR> mothers get custody between 80 to 85 percent of the time. Note<BR> that fathers get custody only 8.7 percent of the time.<BR> * Even in cases where both parents agree to joint custody, 33% are<BR> awarded to the custody of the mother anyway, and even in cases<BR> where both parents agree to father custody, 13% are awarded to the<BR> custody of the mother. [Anne Mitchell, Attorney, single mother,<BR> founder FREE]<BR> * The Associated Press cited the fact that 97% of the persons to be<BR> prosecuted by Maine under this child support collection law are<BR> fathers. That statistic was provided by officials of Maine. Do<BR> they explain why these statistics are so out of balance between<BR> genders? Most studies of fathers pre-divorce show that about 66%<BR> or two thirds of them want custody of their children. Read Richard<BR> Warshak's book, The Custody Revolution, for a description of some<BR> of the mistaken beliefs about the parenting abilities of men that<BR> result in sex discrimination in child custody decisions. Contrary<BR> to the equal abilities of either parent to nurture a child, the<BR> custody decisions after divorce give women sole custody in 90<BR> percent of divorces. Parents retain joint custody in 5 to 7<BR> percent of divorce custody cases. Only in 10 percent of all<BR> divorce custody cases are fathers able to retain their parental<BR> status. This loss of parental rights is not related to any crime<BR> or innate inability to nurture children. The loss of NCF parental<BR> rights is due strictly to the gender bias of the Family Court<BR> system.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> "Child Support"<BR> * "90.2% of fathers with joint custody pay the child support due."<BR> U.S. Bureau of the Census: 1988<BR> * "79.1 % of fathers with visitation privileges pay the child<BR> support due." U.S. Bureau of the Census: 1988<BR> * A study by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University<BR> of Wisconsin-Madison found that "dead-beat dads" were really<BR> impoverished dads. In their comprehensive study, they found that<BR> "... 52% of the nonpaying fathers had incomes of less than $6,155<BR> per year ... ." [18 Dallas Morning News, pg. 5. April 26, 1993.]<BR> * ... The PFS pilot experience ... lays bare several sobering<BR> realities about the potential of 'enforcement only' strategies for<BR> increasing (financial) child support collections from the parents<BR> of AFDC children. ... The hard truth is that many noncustodial<BR> parents do not pay because they have no income. Before they can<BR> pay, they need jobs.[Gordon Berlin, Senior VP, Manpower<BR> Demonstration Research Corporation. Subcommittee on Human<BR> Resources, House Ways and Means Committee. March 15, 1994.]<BR> * Mothers get custody of our children 92% of the time in divorce,<BR> which is a 100% failure by fathers for all practical purposes. No<BR> matter what we did, we could not have lost any bigger than this,<BR> especially when "child support" is nothing more than disguised<BR> alimony which almost no woman pays.<BR> * Because men receive custody of children so rarely, they pay more<BR> than their proportionate 92% share of child support payments.<BR> "Child support awards" paid by the man are much higher than those<BR> paid by the woman, and men are almost 2 times more likely than<BR> women to make those payments.<BR> * This opens the possibility of a minor female to seek out a minor<BR> male child from a wealthy family, and use him as a means of<BR> obtaining a part of that wealth. Our current Family Court system<BR> empowers women by 92% with the raising of children, (see the US<BR> Bureau of the Census, Series P-23, No 173, 1989; Child Support &<BR> Alimony, Bureau of the Census, Series P-60, No 173, September<BR> 1991). A system that places an unfair distribution of monetary<BR> "child support" on the Non-Custody-Parent (NCP), without any form<BR> of tax relief, and with no accountability about where and how that<BR> support money is spent.<BR> * "Noncustodial Fathers: Can They Afford to Pay More Child<BR> Support?", by Elaine Sorenson (202) 857-8564 of The Urban<BR> Institute. 2100 M Street N. W. Washington, D.C. 20037 (202)<BR> 833-7200 is a highly theoretical and hypothetical study which sets<BR> out to prove that noncustodial fathers can pay more child support.<BR> It did NOT PROVIDE OR PRETEND TO OFFER ANY ACTUAL EVIDENCE OF<BR> nonpayment of child support.<BR> <BR> The data related to child support payments reported by the Bureau<BR> of the Census (Current Population Reports, Series P-23,<BR> No 173, 1989), show that 75 percent of all child support<BR> owed is paid.<BR> Total amount of child support owed....<BR> .....$14,800,000,000<BR> (NOT $34 billion!)<BR> Amount<BR> received......................................$11,100,000<BR> ,000<BR> Composed of paid in<BR> full.............................$7,600,000,000<BR> paid in<BR> part..............................................$3,500,<BR> 000,000<BR> <BR> * President Clinton recently stated on national television, that $34<BR> billion was owed in unpaid child support. This number is a<BR> fabrication and incorrect. [Jerry W. Lester, Ph.D. 2476 Bolsover,<BR> Suite 428 Houston, Texas 77005 (713) 528-6565]<BR> <BR> This concept of child support debt non-payment by choice is not<BR> supported by a report from the Government Accounting<BR> Office (Report: GAO/HRD-92-39FS, January 9, 1992). On<BR> page 19 of that report the following reasons were given<BR> for not receiving payments:<BR> Father not able to pay............66%<BR> Unable to locate father............5%<BR> Other.................................29%<BR> <BR> * Only $50.00 of any monthly payment collected in Texas is turned<BR> over to the custodial parent. The rest is used to "reimburse" the<BR> state for welfare payments. The scam being perpetrated on<BR> taxpayers is as follows: Citizens, including NCFs, pay taxes to<BR> support child welfare payments. They agree to shoulder that<BR> financial burden because human beings care about children. They<BR> vote for laws to collect support due to children for the same<BR> reason. But state officials are keeping the money collected from<BR> NCFs. Using the excuse of poor children to pass harsh collection<BR> laws, allows them to effectively raise the amount of tax money<BR> collected from a particular group of citizens, NCFs. Money<BR> collected from "Deadbeat Dads" is paid into state general revenue<BR> coffers. So we see campaigns to raise taxes to pay child welfare,<BR> then laws to collect child support, but what is missing is the<BR> step which turns over all of the collected child support to the<BR> children in whose name it is collected. It is instead directed<BR> into the pockets of those bureaucrats enforcing the collection<BR> measures. [That's your tax money at work! -Tom Williamson NCFM]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Discrimination Against Men<BR> *<BR> <BR> Custodial mothers who receive a support award: 79.6%<BR> Custodial fathers who receive a support award: 29.9%<BR> Non-custodial mothers who totally default on support:<BR> 46.9%<BR> Non-custodial fathers who totally default on support:<BR> 26.9%<BR> (Data obtained by asking custodial parents)<BR> Non-custodial mothers who pay support at any level: 20.0%<BR> <BR> Non-custodial fathers who pay support at any level: 61.0%<BR> <BR> (Data obtained by asking custodial parents)<BR> Single mothers who work less than full time: 66.2%<BR> Single fathers who work less than full time: 10.2%<BR> Single mothers who work more than 44 hours per week: 7.0%<BR> <BR> Single fathers who work more than 44 hours per week:<BR> 24.5%<BR> Single mothers who receive public assistance: 46.2%<BR> Single fathers who receive public assistance: 20.8%<BR> <BR> Source: Technical Analysis Paper No. 42, U.S. Department of Health and<BR> Human Services, Office of Income Security Policy, Oct., 1991;<BR> Authors: Meyer and Garansky<BR> * As to Old Age Survivors Insurance (the traditional social<BR> security) and the Disability Insurance programs (they are reported<BR> together for reasons known only to the government). There were<BR> 36.5 million recipients in 1992. Of those 25.7 million were<BR> retired. Retired men numbered 13.4 million. Retired women numbered<BR> 12.2 million. Spouses (read wives) numbered 6.1 million. So men =<BR> 13.4 women = 18.3 the rest are children of retired or deceased<BR> workers. Another form of social security payment SSI is paid to<BR> disabled or blind individuals who earn below $446/month. Almost<BR> 60% of the recipients are mentally retarded or mentally disabled.<BR> Not separately listed are those disabled by drug addictions. There<BR> is also no gender breakdown. So if the cost of maintaining women<BR> is higher ( seven years longer support) why doesn't the government<BR> charge equitably higher amounts for women in the system than for<BR> men. Any reasonable insurance program would base its charges on<BR> its costs or payouts. But we see here a hidden mechanism to<BR> transfer money from men to women [Dr. Jerry Lester]<BR> <BR> Dr. Lester: What you present here is a vital piece of information<BR> which is CRUCIAL to solving our social pathology, which is due in<BR> part to gender inequality in productivity, earnings, and federal<BR> spending. In this era of feminists' demands for gender equality,<BR> they should get it. And it cannot be equitable to propose that<BR> such payments be divided proportionately to the mere population of<BR> each gender (e.g., if women are 52% of the population then they<BR> should receive 52% of the benefits), IF their proportionate<BR> CONTRIBUTION is significantly smaller in the first place.<BR> <BR> Rather than dividing federal funds by POPULATION, such funding<BR> should be divided by CONTRIBUTION. If men earn 65% of the<BR> income in the country, but because of the graduated<BR> income tax pay 75% to 85% of the taxes, then true gender<BR> equality demands that men as a group receive 75% to 85%<BR> of the benefits. Assuming that the lower (75%) figure is<BR> accurate, then the $360 Billion welfare tab must be<BR> reapportioned as follows:<BR> .....................Current .............More Equitable<BR> .......Males.........$36 Billion.........270 Billion<BR> .......Females .......324 Billion..........90 Billion<BR> <BR> IF men pay more than 75% of the taxes, then even MORE than $234<BR> Billion must be shifted from females to males to arrive at an<BR> equitable proportion. This is about $3,600 per working male per<BR> year, or $108,000 per working male over his 30 year career. And if<BR> this amount, rather than subsidizing welfare queens year after<BR> year, had been successfully invested at an average rate of 6% per<BR> year, it would now be worth more than $300,000. If each of the 65<BR> million male US workers had been able to KEEP this money rather<BR> than forking it over to Uncle Sam, and if each one had saved it in<BR> a modest savings plan, Personal Savings, rather than being $212<BR> Billion, would now be $19,712 Billion (i.e., more than $19<BR> Trillion).<BR> <BR> Any other scenario would not represent "equality", and we want<BR> "equality"? Can our social pathology be reduced with this lopsided<BR> inequality? It would be pure unadulterated sexism to propose that<BR> it can. But clearly this is more than an "equality" issue.<BR> Personal Savings is the lifeblood of any democracy, and we don't<BR> have any. With a Public Debt of $5 Trillion on which interest<BR> payments would sop up our total Personal Savings in several<BR> months, "Personal Savings" is just an accounting error. And<BR> fatherlessness would not be such a major problem if those who<BR> earned it were able to keep and invest it. The fact that females<BR> live 7 years longer than males and cost more in medicare, or<BR> collect 58% of Old Age Survivors Insurance, must be remedied with<BR> this gender equitable solution.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Divorce<BR> * The US divorce rate is 10 times higher than at the turn of the<BR> century and 4 to 10 times higher than other industrialized<BR> nations. 85% of those divorces being filed by the mother and 15%<BR> by the father suggests that the incentives for mothers to get<BR> divorced are about 6 times stronger than the incentives for<BR> fathers.<BR> * In 1988 divorces filed involving families with children, 64.9%<BR> were filed by women, which is down from 71.4% filed by women in<BR> 1975; 28.8% were filed by men, which is up from 25.6% in 1975; and<BR> 6.3% were filed jointly, which is up from 2.6% in 1975. [National<BR> Center for Health Statistics, Monthly Vital Statistics Report,Vol.<BR> 38, No. 12 (S) 2, May 21, 1991.]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Domestic Violence<BR> * Cathy Young states rates of domestic violence are roughly equal<BR> between spouses.<BR> * In another announcement, Health and Human Services director, Donna<BR> Shalala, has announced a one million dollar grant to the Texas<BR> Council on Family Violence to establish a NATIONAL hot line for<BR> domestic violence. The grant is paid for out of funds made<BR> available through the Violence Against Women Act. In a press<BR> release announcing the Hot Line, HHS stated, "In the United<BR> States, a woman is more likely to be assaulted, injured, raped or<BR> killed by a male partner than any other type of assailant".[That's<BR> your tax money at work! -Tom Williamson NCFM]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Education<BR> * My attention to that bias was drawn about 15 years ago in mainland<BR> China by a primary school headmistress. I had noted the fairly<BR> universal gender-equality, with the blatant exeption of primary<BR> school teachers that were 99+% female. Her suggestion seemed to<BR> be: By age seven or eight boys have been so brainwased to accept<BR> the role dictated by women, that they can be safely let loose. I<BR> don't know about the USA, but here in Aussie the main enemy of<BR> equal rights for men are other men themselves that feel equal<BR> rights are "Unchivalrous" "Unmanly" etc.(While the women safely<BR> grin in the background). Maybe men have to be educated first. And<BR> nothing will change as long as the zero to seven's are under the<BR> sole influence of women, I think.<BR> <BR> Peter Stuy<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Family Breakup<BR> * While television and the movies gather headlines as the motivation<BR> behind teen violence, school administrators blame "family breakup"<BR> for violence in the schools. [Survey by the National School Boards<BR> Association as reported in the Washington Time, January 1994. 77%<BR> of school administrators blame "family breakup" for violence in<BR> the schools]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Fatherlessness<BR> * What struck me especially was Blankenhorn's statement that<BR> controlling for fatherhood status erases the relationship between<BR> poverty and crime, and between race and crime. That's worth<BR> mentioning. [Gordon Little]<BR> * The quality of the early father-child relationship is linked to<BR> the son's and daughter's later adjustment in adolescence and<BR> adulthood. [ The Father Factor and the Two Parent Advantage:<BR> Reducing the Paternal Deficit, pg. 1. Henry Biller, Ph.D.,<BR> Psychology Department, University of Rhode Island. April 15,<BR> 1994.]<BR> * As fathers have been excluded from their children's lives, with<BR> the marriage rate falling and the divorce rate rising, SAT scores<BR> have fallen to all-time lows while teen births and the crime rate<BR> have exploded. The divorce rate, teen birth rate, and the crime<BR> rate each doubled between 1975 and 1990. SAT scores fell in 1975<BR> and then dipped below 900 for the first time in 1980. They have<BR> remained at that low level. ["Index of Leading Indicators."<BR> Washington Times. March 16, 1994.]<BR> * Subsequently, unwed pregnancy and childbirth have become a "job"<BR> for too many women. In 1960, only 15% of teen births occurred<BR> outside of marriage, in 1991, 69% occurred outside of marriage.<BR> More than 25% of all births are to unwed mothers. The failure rate<BR> among users of contraception is approximately twice as high among<BR> "poor" women as among "non-poor" women. ["Trends in Teenage<BR> Fertility", pg. 26. Child Trends, Inc., May 4, 1994.]<BR> * Teenage pregnancy rates reflect this trend. Data compiled by Child<BR> Trends, Inc. indicate that 18% of teen pregnancies resulted from a<BR> decision by the mother to become pregnant, 40% resulted from the<BR> mothers' ambivalence toward pregnancy, and 42% of teen pregnancies<BR> were terminated (abortion). [Facts at a Glance, pg. 2. Child<BR> Trends, Inc., January 1994]<BR> * "Ambivalent teens were just a likely to have a baby during the<BR> next two years as teens who unequivocally wanted a child. ["Trends<BR> in Childrearing and Implications for Reform", State-Federal<BR> Assembly, National Conference on State Legislatures. Presentation<BR> by Child Trends, Inc., May 4, 1994.]<BR> * Children who grow up without a father present, even when<BR> adjustments are made for income, are 75% more likely to need<BR> professional assistance for emotional problems, twice as likely to<BR> repeat a grade of school, and more likely to suffer a wide variety<BR> of other disorders including anxiety, peer conflict, and<BR> hyperactivity. [National Center for Health Statistics, June 1991.<BR> Study of 17,100 children in various family structures. Children<BR> living with a mother and step-father fared worse on most<BR> indicators.]<BR> * "One clear message from the accumulated divorce research is that<BR> children profit by continued exposure to both parents" [Visitation<BR> and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol R. Lowery,<BR> Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984]<BR> * "Children who were able to maintain post-divorce relationships<BR> with both parents were better able to adjust to the divorce."<BR> [Visitation and the Noncustodial Father - Mary Ann P. Koch, Carol<BR> R. Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No. 2, Winter 1984]<BR> * "The continuing involvement of divorced fathers in families where<BR> mothers maintain physical custody has become recognized as an<BR> important mediating factor in the adjustment and well-being of<BR> children of divorce." [The Effect of the Post Divorce Relationship<BR> on Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis - Constance R.<BR> Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B. Miller, Ph.D., American Journal of<BR> Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 1993]<BR> * "Children recover more rapidly from the emotional trauma of<BR> parents' separation when they maintain close ties with their<BR> fathers." [Family Ties after Divorce: The Relationship Between<BR> Visiting and Paying Support - Judith A. Seltzer, Nora Shaeffer,<BR> Hong-wen Charing, University of Wisconsin, Journal of Marriage &<BR> the Family, Vol. 51, No. 4, November 1989.]<BR> * "Adolescents who reported closer relationships with their non<BR> custodial fathers were assessed as displaying fewer internalizing<BR> problems." [Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the<BR> Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment -<BR> Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of<BR> Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June 1990]<BR> * "Fathers economic and social involvement with children diminishes<BR> some of the negative consequences of living with a single mother"<BR> [Family Ties after Divorce: The Relationship Between Visiting and<BR> Paying Support - Judith A. Seltzer, Nora Shaeffer, Hong-wen<BR> Charing, University of Wisconsin, Journal of Marriage & the<BR> Family, Vol. 51, No. 4, November 1989]<BR> * "When both parents share the social and economic responsibilities<BR> of child care, children appear to adapt better to their changed<BR> living arrangements than when mothers bear these responsibilities<BR> alone." [Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live<BR> Apart: The Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer,<BR> University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the<BR> Family, Vol. 53, No. 1, February 1991]<BR> * "Fathers have much to offer their adolescent children in many<BR> areas, including their career development, moral development, and<BR> sex role identification." [Increasing Our Understanding of Fathers<BR> Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their Children - James R. Dudley,<BR> Professor, University North Carolina, under a grant from Temple<BR> University, Family Relations, Vol . 40, No. 3, July 1991<BR> * "Fathers who spend time with their children teach them values."<BR> [Relationships between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The<BR> Father's Role after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of<BR> Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53,<BR> No. 1, February 1991<BR> * "Fathers and children who maintain close touch through visiting<BR> communicate regularly in other ways as well." [Relationships<BR> between Fathers and Children Who Live Apart: The Father's Role<BR> after Separation - Judith A. Seltzer, University of<BR> Wisconsin-Madison, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 53,<BR> No. 1, February 1991<BR> * "Frequent contact with the father is associated with positive<BR> adjustment of the children." [The Effect of the Post Divorce<BR> Relationship on Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis -<BR> Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B. Miller, Ph.D., American<BR> Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, July 1993]<BR> * "Fathers play a significant role in terms of adolescent<BR> functioning" [The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and<BR> Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American<BR> Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993]<BR> * "Males who reported high levels of inter-parental conflict and a<BR> good relationship with their fathers were perceived [by their<BR> teachers] to have fewer internalizing problems. A similar set of<BR> results emerged for the female adolescents" [Interparental<BR> Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and<BR> Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand,<BR> University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No.<BR> 2, April - June 1990]<BR> * "Significant correlations were found between the father's reports<BR> of positive relationships with their adolescent offspring and<BR> teacher reports of less anxiety/withdrawal on the part of the<BR> adolescents." [The Role of Paternal Variables in Divorced and<BR> Married Families - Amanda Thomas and Rex Forehand, American<BR> Journal of Othopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 1, January 1993]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Incarceration<BR> * Men are convicted of crimes for which women are not equally<BR> charged, and receive longer prison sentences for equal crimes<BR> [from 5x to 20x times longer per some recent TV programs].<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Life Expectancy<BR> * Males = 72.3 years, females = 79 years, which is 6.7 years or 9.3%<BR> longer [National Center for Health Statistics]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Single-Mother Households<BR> *<BR> <BR> Juveniles committed to juvenile prisons in Texas:<BR> 1% are from single father homes<BR> 20% are from 2-parent homes<BR> 79% are from fatherless homes<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Single father homes constitute 4% of households, single mother<BR> homes constitute 37%, and two parent homes constitute 59%. The<BR> children of single mother households are 8.5 times more likely to<BR> be in juvenile prisons than children of single father households.<BR> Children of single father households are 35% less likely than the<BR> children of two parent households to be in juvenile prisons.<BR> <BR> * The US Office of Technology Assessment commissioned Howard<BR> Dubowitz to evaluate child abuse, through a health program . His<BR> report dated May 1987 entitled "Child Maltreatment in the US"<BR> points out:<BR> <BR> The increase in the number of mother-headed households and the<BR> corresponding decrease in father-headed households parallelled a<BR> 158% increase in child abuse and neglect in the 8 years from 1976<BR> to 1984. 2.3% of sexual abuse of girls was by biological fathers,<BR> and 17% by stepfathers. 37% of child maltreatment occurred in<BR> mother-headed households, versus 23% in all US families. 44,700<BR> children were sexually abused in 1979 which was .07% of all<BR> children below the age of 18 years of age.<BR> <BR> Why was this report which reveals the shocking realities of<BR> father-absence so effectively ignored by the media? Because girls<BR> in the custody of their divorced and remarried mothers were 7.4<BR> times more likely to be sexually abused by their stepfathers than<BR> those in father-headed households, and this is very revealing of<BR> the abject failure of the feminist ideology. It is proof of the<BR> complete bias of the feminist media. It illustrates that the<BR> *welfare* of children is SECOND on the list to the *rights* of<BR> women. Out of 64 million fathers, 1,034 of us allegedly did abuse<BR> our daughters, but 62,998,966 of us did NOT.<BR> <BR> The failure by the report to state what part of the other 80.7% of<BR> the children who were sexually abused were abused by their mothers<BR> is also revealing. It is possible, and entirely probable, that<BR> half of that 80.7% were abused by their mothers, which makes<BR> mothers 17.5 times more likely than biological fathers to sexually<BR> abuse their daughters.<BR> * FEMALE-HOUSEHOLDER FAMILIES MOST LIKELY TO STAY POOR, CENSUS<BR> BUREAU SAYS<BR> <BR> Persons in female-householder families were the most likely<BR> demographic group to be chronically poor, according to the results<BR> of a survey released today by the Commerce Department's Census<BR> Bureau.<BR> <BR> One in five female-householder families (19.5 percent) reported<BR> income below the poverty threshold during the 24-month period of<BR> 1991-92. That was more than any other age, race, or<BR> Hispanic-origin, employment, disability, or family status group<BR> discussed in the report.<BR> <BR> The finding is reported in "Dynamics of Economic Well-Being:<BR> Poverty, 1991 to 1993" (P70-45), based on data collected in the<BR> Survey of Income and Program Participation.<BR> <BR> Compared to persons in female-householder families, 1.3 percent of<BR> persons in married-couple families were poor for all 24 months in<BR> 1991-92.<BR> <BR> The median time spent in poverty during this period for persons in<BR> female-householder families was 6.4 months compared with only 3.9<BR> months for persons in married-couple families.<BR> <BR> Other findings:<BR> * Among children under 18, 8.5 percent were chronically<BR> poor, compared with 3.2 percent of adults 18 to 64.<BR> Children constituted 48 percent of the chronically poor.<BR> * Of persons who were poor in 1991, 21.6 percent were<BR> able to escape poverty in 1992.<BR> * Of all the population subgroups looked at in the<BR> report, only African Americans lost ground in the<BR> likelihood of their escaping poverty. For those who were<BR> poor in the previous year, their exit rate dropped from<BR> 17.4 percent in 1991 to 13.0 percent in 1992.<BR> * Half of all periods of poverty lasted longer than 4.3<BR> months.<BR> * The median duration of poverty was longer for African<BR> Americans (5.8 months) than for Whites (4.1 months). For<BR> Hispanics, it was 5.0 months, not statistically different<BR> from the other groups.<BR> * The median duration of poverty during 1991 through 1993<BR> period was 4.0 months for adults 18 to 64; 4.7 months for<BR> children under 18; and 7.0 months for the elderly (65 and<BR> older).<BR> <BR> The Office of Management and Budget determines the official poverty<BR> index for families based on such factors as family size, family<BR> income, number of children under 18 years old, and the consumer<BR> price index. Chronic poverty refers to a situation in which<BR> families stay below the poverty cutoff every month during the 1991<BR> to 1992 period.<BR> * WASHINGTON -- In 1970, 12 percent of kids under 18 lived under a<BR> single-parent family; in 1995, 36 percent of kids live this way.<BR> Children are most likely to live with a never-married parent (35<BR> percent) as with a divorced, single-parent (37 percent).<BR> <BR> DURING THE PAST DECADE, MORE AND MORE CHILDREN ARE LIVING UNDER A<BR> SINGLE-PARENT HOUSEHOLD<BR> percent<BR> 40<BR> 38..................................................?<BR> 36..........................................X...X<BR> 34...................................X...X<BR> 32<BR> 30.......................X...X...X<BR> 28...................X<BR> 26...........X...X<BR> 24...X...X<BR> 22<BR> 20<BR> .....'83 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95<BR> <BR> Two Census Bureau reports -- published each year -- keep up with the<BR> trend: - HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY CHARTERISTICS: MARCH (P20-477),<BR> THREE OUT OF TEN MOTHERS ON AFDC BEGAN CHILDBEARING BEFORE AGE 18<BR> <BR> WASHINGTON -- Approximately 29 percent of the 3.8 million mothers<BR> 50 to 44 years old who receive Aid to Families with Dependent<BR> Children (AFDC) had their first child before they turned 18,<BR> according to Census Bureau _STATISTICAL_BRIEF_ .<BR> <BR> Never-married mothers were 48 percent of the mothers in the 15 to<BR> 44 year age group on AFDC. The 1.8 million never-married mothers<BR> supported 4.2 million children, or an average of 2.4 children per<BR> mother.<BR> <BR> Entitled "Mothers Who Receive AFDC Payments -- Fertility and<BR> Socioeconomic Charateristics," the BRIEF focuses on mothers in the<BR> childbearing years.<BR> <BR> Covered are mother's age, race and ethnicity, education, and<BR> poverty status. It also focuses on foreign-born mothers receiving<BR> AFDC.<BR> <BR> AFDC mothers tended to have more children than those who did not<BR> receive AFDC payments. The AFDC mothers average 2.6 children each<BR> compared with 2.1 children born to mothers not receiving AFDC.<BR> Altogether, 9.7 million children were dependent on mothers<BR> receiving AFDC.<BR> <BR> Recently completed study by CATO (?) Institute reveals that in 9<BR> States, money received by welfare recipients EXCEEDS the starting<BR> salary for a TEACHER!...and in all 50 States, exceeds the minimum<BR> wage.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Suicide Rate<BR> * Women attempt suicide four times as often as men, but men succeed<BR> three times as often as women. Men out number women 25 to one in<BR> the prison system. Two thirds of all grade repeaters are boys,<BR> women out live men by eight years (largely due to issues involving<BR> life style), 80% of the deaths of boys between the ages of 15 and<BR> 24 are caused by accidents, suicide and homicide (in that order) -<BR> Note: These statistics are not the current year, but these facts<BR> have remained very consistent for a long period of time. [MEN'S<BR> RESOURCES HOT-LINE - NCFM]<BR> * The suicide rate amoung men is five (5) times higher than for<BR> women, yet there are no "men's studies" programs to understand<BR> why.<BR> * Faludi didn't bother to mention that the male suicide rate had<BR> been higher all along. The "suicide gap" between men and women<BR> only got worse. Roughly, over the last generation, men's suicide<BR> rate in the U.S. went from about 15 per 100,000 each year to about<BR> 19, while women's rate went down from about 7 to 5.2 or so. The<BR> observation that women's suicide rate peaked in 1960 was<BR> interesting, since this was the time of the so-called "problem<BR> that had no name."<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Taxation<BR> * Men constitute 58% of the workforce, earn an average of 42% more<BR> than women, and earn 66.2% of the nation's total income, while<BR> women earn 33.8%. The graduated income tax places the majority of<BR> in the highest tax bracket and the majority of women are in the<BR> lower tax bracket, leaving men paying up to 90% of all federal<BR> income taxes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Wealth<BR> * Women hold 65% of the country's wealth today. [Fortune Magazine]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> Welfare<BR> * The percent of those receiving one or another form of welfare who<BR> are males range from 5-15%, while famales receive 85-95%, making<BR> welfare a $360 Billion transfer of wealth from men to women.<BR> * Women have a 7 year longer life expectancy than men, yet women's<BR> studies and women's health programs get 100% of the gender-related<BR> health program spending.<BR> * In a study by the Cato Institute, to match the value of welfare<BR> benefits, a mother with two children would have to earn as much as<BR> $36,400 in Hawaii or as little as $11,500 in Mississippi. In New<BR> York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, the District of Columbia,<BR> Hawaii, Alaska, and Rhode Island, welfare pays more than a $12.00<BR> an hour job--or more than two- and-a-half times the minimum wage.<BR> In 40 states welfare pays more than an $8.00 an hour job. In 17<BR> states the welfare package is more generous than a $10.00 an hour<BR> job. Welfare benefits are especially generous in large urban<BR> cities. Welfare offers the pre-tax income equivalent of a $14.75<BR> an hour job in New York City, $12.45 in Philadelphia, $11.35 in<BR> Baltimore, and $10.90 in Detroit. In 9 states, welfare pays more<BR> than the average first year salary for a teacher. In 29 states,<BR> welfare pays more than the average starting salary for a<BR> secretary. In 47 states welfare pays more than a janitor. Indeed,<BR> in the 6 most generous states, benefits exceed the entry level<BR> salary for a computer programmer. $$$ are pre-tax equivalent of<BR> welfare benefits for single mother over the age of 21 with 2<BR> children, aged 4 and 1.<BR> <BR> Hawaii $ 36,400 $ 17.50 per hour<BR> Alaska 32,200 15.48<BR> Mass... 30,500 14.66<BR> Conn... 29,600 14.23<BR> DC 29,100 13.99<BR> NY 27,300 13.13<BR> NJ 26,500 12.74<BR> RI 26,100 12.55<BR> CA 24,100 11.59<BR> Virginia 23,100 11.11<BR> Penns 19,700 9.47 (#22 on the list)<BR> Illinois 19,400 9.33<BR> Texas 15,200 7.31 (#44 on the list)<BR> Mississippi 11,500 5.53 (#51, last)<BR> This report did not include certain education<BR> benefits, job training benfits, child care costs, etc.<BR> The Institute just listed the normal living expenses for a single parent<BR> and 2 children:<BR> AFDC cash benefits (Alaska was #1, followed by Hawaii and NY)<BR> Food stamp benefits (Hawaii was #1, followed by Alabama and Arkansas)<BR> Medicaid benfits (Louisana was #1, followed by OK and Indiana)<BR> Housing benefits (DC was #1, followed by Mass & Hawaii)<BR> Utilities benefits (Texas was # 1, followed by Vermont & Minn)<BR> WIC benefits (Hawaii was #1, followed by Alaska & CT)<BR> The study does not define the total single-parent-welfare cost to each<BR> state. The study's authors -- Michael Tanner, Cato's director of<BR> health and welfare studies; Stephen Moore, Cato's director of<BR> fiscal policy studies; and David Hartman, CEO of Hartland Bank in<BR> Austin, Texas--conclude that if Congress or state governments are<BR> serious about reducing welfare dependency and rewarding work, the<BR> most promising reform is to cut benefit levels substantially.<BR> * Report to the Chairman, Committee on the Budget, U.S. Senate<BR> BUDGET ISSUES - GDP ANALYSIS BROADENS BUDGET DEBATE GAO/AIMD-94-41<BR> <BR> <BR> As our analysis of the data shows, the United States in 1970 and<BR> 1989 ranked last among the nine countries in gross fixed capital<BR> formation as a share of GDP. Health care consumption presents a<BR> sharp contrast to the findings about gross fixed capital<BR> formation: health care consumption in the United States has grown<BR> dramatically as a percentage of GDP<BR> <BR> The United States ranked second among seven nations\3 in both 1970<BR> and 1987 in resources devoted to education although the<BR> differences between the various countries is generally small<BR> <BR> <BR> Economic Allocations Across Countries<BR> (1990 or most recent year for which data<BR> are available, percent of GDP)<BR> <BR> <BR> Transportation<BR> Non<BR> resid Resi Communicati Health Defense Educa consump O<BR> ther<BR> Country Year ential dential cations tion tio<BR> n<BR> ------- ------ ----- ----- ----------- ----- ------ ---- ------ -<BR> ---<BR> Australia 1990 17 5 10 8 2 5 54 0<BR> Canada 1987 14 7 11 8 2 6 50 1<BR> France 1988 15 5 11 8 3 5 51 1<BR> Germany 1989 15 5 9 8 2 4 50 6<BR> Italy 1990 15 5 8 7 2 5 57 1<BR> Japan 1990 26 6 6 6 1 3 50 1<BR> Sweden 1989 16 5 10 8 2 5 53 1<BR> U.K. 1990 16 3 11 6 4 4 58 -2<BR> U.S. 1989 12 4 11 11 6 6 50 -1<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> The Battered Statistic Syndrome, by Armin A. Brott<BR> <BR> appeared in the Washington Post, July, 1994<BR> <BR> By now, everyone knows about the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and<BR> Ronald Goldman. But there's a third victim of these tragic killings:<BR> the truth about the prevalence of domestic violence and female<BR> victimization, a truth that is daily being maimed almost beyond<BR> recognition by the irresponsible use of statistics.<BR> <BR> Consider, for example, the wildly varying statements being issued on<BR> all sides regarding the number of women who are supposedly beaten by<BR> men in the United States. The National Coalition Against Domestic<BR> Violence, for example, estimates that more than half of married women<BR> (over 27 million) will experience violence during their marriage, and<BR> that over one third (over 18 million) are battered repeatedly every<BR> year. Shocked by these statistics--both of which are frequently quoted<BR> in the media--I called the NCADV and asked where they came from. Rita<BR> Smith, the group's coordinator, told me these figures were only<BR> ""estimates.'' From where? ""Based on what we hear out there.'' Out<BR> where? Battered women's shelters and other advocacy groups.<BR> <BR> Common sense should tell you that asking women at a shelter whether<BR> they've been hit would be like asking patrons at McDonald's whether<BR> they ever eat fast food. It would be irresponsible and intellectually<BR> dishonest to apply those answers to the country as a whole. But when<BR> there's a sensational story to run, common sense and intellectual<BR> honesty are rarely taken into consideration.<BR> <BR> Even those who have a public responsibility to be accurate on these<BR> issues sometimes falter. According to Donna Shalala, Secretary of<BR> Health and Human Services, for example, 4 million women are battered<BR> each year by their male partners. But where did Shalala get her<BR> figure? From a 1993 Harris poll commissioned by the Commonwealth Fund.<BR> Two percent of the 2,500 women interviewed said they had been<BR> ""kicked, bit, hit with a fist or some other object.'' Apply that to<BR> the approximately 55 million women married or living with a man and<BR> you get a total of 1.1 million. So where did the other 2.9 million<BR> come from? They were women who said they had been ""pushed, grabbed,<BR> shoved, or slapped.'' That's a form of abuse, to be sure, but is it<BR> what most people would call battering?<BR> <BR> By far the worst distortion of the numbers of battered women comes<BR> from Miami talk show host Pat Stevens, who appeared on a segment of<BR> CNN's Crossfire show called ""OJ on the Air'' in June. Stevens<BR> estimated that when adjusted for underreporting, the true number of<BR> battered women is 60 million. No one bothered to tell Stevens--or<BR> Crossfire's millions of viewers--that 60 million is more than 100% of<BR> all the women in this entire country who are currently in<BR> relationships with a man. Instead, Stevens' ""estimate'' and the other<BR> ""facts'' on battered women all serve to fuel the claims that there's<BR> an ""epidemic of domestic violence'' and a ""war against women.''<BR> <BR> How many battered women are there? ""Because many feminist activists<BR> and researchers have so great a stake in exaggerating the problem and<BR> so little compunction about doing so, objective information on battery<BR> is very hard to come by,'' writes Christina Hoff Sommers, author of<BR> Who Stole Feminism: How Women Have Betrayed Women (Simon & Schuster,<BR> 1994). But Murray A. Straus, head of the Family Research Laboratory at<BR> the University of New Hampshire, and Richard A. Gelles, a sociologist<BR> at the University of Rhode Island, who have been tracking spousal<BR> abuse for over 20 years, have come up with what are widely believed to<BR> be the most accurate estimates available--the National Family Violence<BR> Survey (NFVS).<BR> <BR> Their Survey, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health,<BR> found that 84% of American families are not violent. In the 16% of<BR> families that do experience violence, the vast majority of that<BR> violence takes the form of slapping, shoving, and grabbing. Only 3-4%<BR> of all families (a total of about 1.8 million) engage in ""severe''<BR> violence: kicking, punching, or using a weapon.<BR> <BR> <BR> </P> <CENTER> <P><A HREF="FatherhoodStatistics2of2.html">View next page...</A> <HR></P> <P>© 1996 Fathering Enterprises. 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