John Knight's Fatherhood Statistics Page Two - Fathering Magazine

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <CENTER> <P> <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> <A HREF="FatherhoodStatistics1of2.html">View previous page...</A> </P> </CENTER> <P> <BR> Fatherhood Statistics page 2<BR> by John Knight<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Moreover, a recent study published in the Archives of Internal<BR> <BR> Medicine found that 44% of ""severe violence'' to wives did not cause<BR> <BR> any injury, and 31% caused only a slight bruise. Still, Straus and<BR> <BR> Gelles estimate that about 188,000 women are injured severely enough<BR> <BR> to require medical attention. That's a horrifying number of victims,<BR> <BR> but it's a far cry from 4 million, or 18 million, or 60 million.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Another commonly accepted ""truth'' about domestic violence is that<BR> <BR> 95% of the time, women are the victims and men the perpetrators.<BR> <BR> Nothing could be further from the truth. The Family Violence<BR> <BR> Survey--as well as numerous other studies--have found that men are<BR> <BR> just as likely to be the victims of domestic violence as women. But<BR> <BR> aren't these women just defending themselves against their more<BR> <BR> violent partners? Straus and Gelles found that among couples reporting<BR> <BR> violence, the man struck the first blow in 27% of cases; the woman in<BR> <BR> 24%. The rest of the time, the violence was mutual, with both partners<BR> <BR> brawling. The results were the same even when the most severe episodes<BR> <BR> of violence were analyzed. They were also the same when only the<BR> <BR> woman's version of the events was considered.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Even more interesting are Straus' findings, released earlier this<BR> <BR> month, that men's violence against women--even as reported by<BR> <BR> women--has dropped 43% between 1985 and 1992. Over this same period,<BR> <BR> in contrast, assaults by women against men increased by about 28%.<BR> <BR> Straus concludes that ""part of the reason may be that there has been<BR> <BR> no effort to condemn assault by wives parallel to the effort to<BR> <BR> condemn assaults by husbands.''<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> So where did the claim that 95% of domestic violence is initiated by<BR> <BR> men come from? From the U.S. Department of Justice, which collects<BR> <BR> data on the number of reports of domestic violence. But as women's<BR> <BR> rights groups rightfully claim, reports are not always an accurate<BR> <BR> measure of the severity of the problem. Certainly, some female victims<BR> <BR> of domestic violence fail to call the police, fearing retaliation by<BR> <BR> their abusers. But other Justice Department studies have shown that<BR> <BR> men, too, are reluctant to ask for help, reporting all kinds of<BR> <BR> violent victimization 32% less frequently than women.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Confessing to being beaten up by another man, however, is a piece of<BR> <BR> cake compared to admitting being victimized by a woman. After all, men<BR> <BR> are socialized to ""take it like a man.'' As a result, men tend to<BR> <BR> report only the most extreme abuse. ""They wouldn't dream of reporting<BR> <BR> the kind of minor abuse--such as slapping or kicking--that women<BR> <BR> routinely report,'' says Suzanne Steinmetz, director of the Family<BR> <BR> Research Institute at Indiana University/Purdue.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Another example of how data on female victimization is distorted, is<BR> <BR> the claim that ""domestic violence is the most common cause of injury<BR> <BR> to women.'' The source for this claim is a 1991 study of extremely<BR> <BR> poor, inner-city African-American women in Philadelphia--which doesn't<BR> <BR> even find that domestic violence was the leading cause of injury.<BR> <BR> ""And even if it did,'' says Dr. Jeane Ann Grisso, one of the lead<BR> <BR> researchers of the study, ""I'd never apply that conclusion to the<BR> <BR> total population of American women.'' Nevertheless, Grisso's study has<BR> <BR> been widely cited as proof that there's an epidemic of violence<BR> <BR> against women.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Some advocates have taken Grisso's study one step further, claiming<BR> <BR> that as many as 50% of women's hospital emergency-room admissions are<BR> <BR> the result of ongoing abuse. At the source of this so called fact are<BR> <BR> several studies done in the 1970's by Evan Stark and Anne Flitcraft,<BR> <BR> co-directors of the Domestic Violence Training Project at the<BR> <BR> University of Connecticut. They compiled their data by going through<BR> <BR> old medical records in urban hospitals and estimating how many women<BR> <BR> were battered by using what they called an ""index of suspicion.''<BR> <BR> Christina Hoff Sommers has analyzed Stark and Flitcraft's methods and<BR> <BR> writes: ""if a woman was assaulted but the records do not say who hit<BR> <BR> her, Stark and Flitcraft classify this as a case of "probable'<BR> <BR> domestic abuse; if she has injuries to her face and torso that are<BR> <BR> inadequately explained, they classify it as "suggestive of abuse.'''<BR> <BR> Apparently no one considered the possibility that someone other than a<BR> <BR> husband or boyfriend might have been responsible for the woman's<BR> <BR> injuries.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Compare Stark and Flitcraft's results to those reached in a 1992<BR> <BR> survey of 397 emergency rooms in California. Nurses were asked to<BR> <BR> estimate the number of patients per month who have been diagnosed with<BR> <BR> injuries caused by domestic violence. Estimates ranged from two per<BR> <BR> month for small hospitals to eight per month for large ones. The<BR> <BR> California study concluded that the number of perceived domestic<BR> <BR> violence victims was so low because many health professionals are<BR> <BR> poorly trained in recognizing domestic violence. That may be correct,<BR> <BR> but it's doubtful that it would account for the enormous difference<BR> <BR> between a handful of domestic violence cases a month and the claim<BR> <BR> that such cases account for 50% of all women's emergency room<BR> <BR> admissions.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> There's no question that many women who have been severely battered<BR> <BR> are afraid to leave their batterers--either because they are<BR> <BR> economically dependent, or because they fear further abuse. In one of<BR> <BR> their ""fact sheets,'' the National Coalition Against Domestic<BR> <BR> Violence tells us that women who leave their batterers ""increase by<BR> <BR> 75% their chances of getting killed.'' When I asked her to explain<BR> <BR> that figure, the NCADV's Rita Smith admitted that that statistic isn't<BR> <BR> true at all, and that the Coalition has no concrete evidence of the<BR> <BR> effect--if any--leaving a violent partner will have on a woman. I then<BR> <BR> asked Ms. Smith whether it bothered her that her organization was<BR> <BR> responsible for spreading an imaginary statistic. ""Not really,'' she<BR> <BR> said. ""We think the chance of getting killed goes up and we're just<BR> <BR> trying to make a point here.''<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> In a very small number of tragic cases, abusive men do kill their<BR> <BR> partners. But women aren't the only ones killed in domestic disputes.<BR> <BR> A Justice Department study released earlier this month showed that 41<BR> <BR> percent of spousal murder victims were male. Battered women's<BR> <BR> advocates claim that those women who kill their husbands do so only<BR> <BR> out of self-defense. But in an extensive study of women imprisoned for<BR> <BR> murder, Coramae Richey Mann, a researcher at the Department of<BR> <BR> Criminal Justice, Indiana University/Bloomington found that only 59%<BR> <BR> claimed self-defense and that 30% had previously been arrested for<BR> <BR> violent crimes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> As for the perception that women who murder their husbands are treated<BR> <BR> harshly by the justice system, Dr. Mann found that few female domestic<BR> <BR> homicide offenders receive prison sentences, and that those who do<BR> <BR> rarely serve more than four or five years. These findings were are<BR> <BR> confirmed by a recent Los Angeles Times article. The article, which<BR> <BR> quoted Justice Department sources, reported that women who kill their<BR> <BR> husbands were acquitted in 12.9% of the cases, while husbands who kill<BR> <BR> their wives were acquitted only 1.4% of the time. In addition, women<BR> <BR> convicted of killing their husbands receive an average sentence of<BR> <BR> only six years, while male spousal killers got 17 years.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Why are these statistics being battered? ""The higher your figures for<BR> <BR> abuse, the more likely you'll reap rewards, regardless of your<BR> <BR> methodology,'' says Dr. Sommers. Those who create and disseminate<BR> <BR> inflated statistics are often invited to testify before Congress,<BR> <BR> they're written about in the New York Times, and some even get to be<BR> <BR> interviewed on Oprah.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Not everyone who manipulates data does so for personal gain. Some are<BR> <BR> simply trying to get people to sit up and pay attention to the plight<BR> <BR> of battered women--a truly important goal. But to do so, they've<BR> <BR> created a false epidemic. If advocates confined themselves to the<BR> <BR> truth--that 3-4% of women are battered each year--domestic violence<BR> <BR> might still be regarded as the unfortunate behavior of a few crazy<BR> <BR> men. But if enough people are led to believe that 19 or 50 or 100<BR> <BR> percent of women are ""brutalized,'' the only logical conclusion can<BR> <BR> be that all men are dangerous and all women need to be protected.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Is it OK to lie shamelessly if your cause is a noble one? Is half a<BR> <BR> solution better than no solution at all? On the one hand, lying about<BR> <BR> the extent of the problem of domestic violence has had some very<BR> <BR> positive effects, opening the public's eyes as well as their wallets.<BR> <BR> Battered women are now the hottest story in town and Congress is about<BR> <BR> to pass the $1.8 billion Violence Against Women Act which, among other<BR> <BR> things, will fund toll-free hotlines, battered women's shelters, and<BR> <BR> education and training programs. It's certainly possible that none of<BR> <BR> this would be happening if advocacy groups stuck strictly to facts.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> On the other hand, even supposedly harmless ""puffing'' can have been<BR> <BR> some extremely negative consequences. Inaccurate discussions about<BR> <BR> domestic violence, for example, can quickly turn into smear campaigns<BR> <BR> in which almost every man who hasn't exhibited his natural vicious and<BR> <BR> misogynist tendencies yet, is expected to do so at any moment. Members<BR> <BR> of Congress, seeing a golden opportunity to appease a large block of<BR> <BR> voters, have chosen a quick solution rather than attempting to correct<BR> <BR> their constituents' misapprehensions. The Violence Against Women Act,<BR> <BR> for example, doesn't devote a nickel to the same kind of special<BR> <BR> protection for men, even though males make up 75% of all murder<BR> <BR> victims and 61% of the victims of all violent crime.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Women, too, are being hurt by the lies. Having fought so hard to be<BR> <BR> taken seriously and treated as equals, women are again finding<BR> <BR> themselves portrayed as weak and helpless--exactly the stereotypes<BR> <BR> that have been traditionally used to justify discriminating against<BR> <BR> them. As the author and feminist critic Katherine Dunn writes in the<BR> <BR> current issue of The New Republic, ""The denial of female aggression<BR> <BR> is a destructive myth. It robs an entire gender of a significant<BR> <BR> spectrum of power, leaving women less than equal with men and<BR> <BR> effectively keeping them "in their place' and under control.''<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Worst of all, the inflation of domestic violence statistics produces a<BR> <BR> kind of ratchet effect. The same people who complain that no one<BR> <BR> listens if they don't exaggerate only find it that much more difficult<BR> <BR> to get people's attention the next time around--which in turn seems to<BR> <BR> justify another round of exaggeration. Eventually, the public either<BR> <BR> stops listening altogether, or finds the statistics too absurd to<BR> <BR> believe. And when we're trying to alleviate the tragedy of domestic<BR> <BR> violence, the last thing you want anyone to do is laugh.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Armin A. Brott<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Mark Charalambous, Coalition for the Preservation of Fatherhood <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Child support is an award of money that one adult pays another. It is<BR> <BR> ostensibly paid from Non-Custodial Parents (NCP) to Custodial Parents<BR> <BR> (CPs). Because of the FACT that men are not allowed by the State to<BR> <BR> become CPs (estimates range from 95-99% of custodial battles arrive at<BR> <BR> maternal physical custody; in Massachusetts, I'm *still* waiting to<BR> <BR> hear of a case where at the trial level a father is awarded sole<BR> <BR> physical custody in a contested case. Guess what! I heard of one<BR> <BR> Wednesday night! The context was that it made Lawyers Weekly because<BR> <BR> it was reversed on appeal! There were abuse allegations on both sides<BR> <BR> (of course), and the appeals court ruled that "battered women's<BR> <BR> syndrome' was not taken into account to explain the abuse that the<BR> <BR> mother allegedly perpetrated on the father. So. To the best of my<BR> <BR> knowledge, the rate is still: mothers 100%, fathers 0%. Also, bear in<BR> <BR> mind that when a father does win custody -- it's cause for national<BR> <BR> headlines! Remember the Michigan case last year? )<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> So we have an environment where only one class of people, women, can<BR> <BR> be CPs (child support recipients), and the other class, men, can only<BR> <BR> be NCPs (child support payors). Hence, I state that ALL laws,<BR> <BR> policies, and what- have-you, including all state guidelined child<BR> <BR> support IS ILLEGITIMATE AND INVALID prima facie. We are talking about<BR> <BR> a thoroughly discriminatory environment against men.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> I do not recognize this system of transfer of money as being anything<BR> <BR> that resembles something that the words "child support" *should*<BR> <BR> represent. So what exactly is it? In a time when it is politically<BR> <BR> incorrect for women to acknowledge any dependence on men, this<BR> <BR> euphemism was conjured up. We know what it is. It passes the duck test<BR> <BR> real well. It is POLITICALLY CORRECT ALIMONY, state-mandated at levels<BR> <BR> that make the worst alimony story of decades past pale in comparison.<BR> <BR> $9,000 a month for "child support" (recent Vermont case)? Who's<BR> <BR> kidding who?<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> I would ask you to consider the sex discrimination inherent in the<BR> <BR> practice of providing welfare payments to out of work mothers, and<BR> <BR> prosecuting out of work fathers for non-payment. I would also ask you<BR> <BR> to consider the logic of reducing the ability of NCFs to get or keep<BR> <BR> work, as a method which will increase child support payments. As shown<BR> <BR> above, two-thirds of the nonpayers of ordered child support can't pay.<BR> <BR> Laws such as those currently enforced in Maine, which strip<BR> <BR> professional and driving licenses from fathers who fall behind in<BR> <BR> child support payments, will help to insure that they never will be<BR> <BR> able to pay.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> In contrast to the Maine policy, is one being used in parts of New<BR> <BR> York state, called Parents Fair Share. In the Parents Fair Share<BR> <BR> program, NCFs are provided with job training and given preference in<BR> <BR> state employment office job placement programs. The collection rate<BR> <BR> among fathers who have been helped in this program is near 90 percent.<BR> <BR> The collection rate reported in one Associated Press (Houston Post,<BR> <BR> July 3, 1994) article for Maine is $11.5 million out of $138.5<BR> <BR> million, or less than 9 percent. The program of NCF assistance,<BR> <BR> Parents Fair Share, is ten times as effective in producing child<BR> <BR> support payments as the punishment program of Maine.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> COPS -- Coalition of Parental Support<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Fathers' Absence*<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come<BR> <BR> from fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless<BR> <BR> homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come<BR> <BR> from fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from<BR> <BR> fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from<BR> <BR> fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless<BR> <BR> home.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * California has the nation's highest juvenile incarceration<BR> <BR> rate and the nation's highest juvenile unemployment rate.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * Juveniles have become the driving force behind the national<BR> <BR> increase in violent crime; the epidemic of youth violence and<BR> <BR> gangs is related to the breakdown of the two-parent family.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 71% of teenage pregnancies are to children of single parents.<BR> <BR> Daughters of single parents are 2.1 times more likely to have<BR> <BR> children during their teenage years than are daughters from<BR> <BR> intact families. Daughters of single parents are 53% more<BR> <BR> likely to marry as teenagers, 164% more likely to have a<BR> <BR> premarital birth, and 92% more likely to dissolve their own<BR> <BR> marriages. All these intergenerational consequences of single<BR> <BR> motherhood increase the likelihood of chronic welfare<BR> <BR> dependency.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * In 1983, a study found that 60% of perpetrators of child<BR> <BR> abuse were women with sole custody. Shared parenting can<BR> <BR> significantly reduce the stress associated with sole custody,<BR> <BR> and reduce the isolation of children in abusive situations by<BR> <BR> allowing both parents' to monitor the children's health and<BR> <BR> welfare and to protect them.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 18 million children live in single-parent homes. Nearly 75%<BR> <BR> of American children living in single-parent families will<BR> <BR> experience poverty before they turn 11. Only 20% in two-parent<BR> <BR> families will experience poverty.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * The feminization of poverty is linked to the feminization of<BR> <BR> custody, as well as linked to lower earnings for women. Greater<BR> <BR> opportunity for education and jobs through shared parenting can<BR> <BR> help break the cycle.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * Kidnapping: family abductions were 163,200 compared to<BR> <BR> non-family abductions of 200-300, attributed to the parents'<BR> <BR> disenchantment with the legal system.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:--Some Things Have Always Been Equal.-- <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> by John A. Rossler<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> The serious examination of violence in the family began in the mid<BR> <BR> '70s with studies by Straus, Gelles and Steinmetz that challenged many<BR> <BR> of our preconceived notions of violent men. Also challenged was the<BR> <BR> stereotype, the anathema of feminists, of the "little women," docile<BR> <BR> and passive compared to her husband. Whereas these original<BR> <BR> researchers suspected violence was a major problem in American<BR> <BR> families, consistent with our violent society, surprising was its high<BR> <BR> incidence: at least one act of violence occurred in 16% of families in<BR> <BR> the last year and 28% since the beginning of the marriages ("Societal<BR> <BR> Change and Change in Family Violence from 1975 to 1985 As Revealed by<BR> <BR> Two National Studies," Straus and Gelles, Journal of Marriage and the<BR> <BR> Family, 8/86.)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> More surprising was the virtual equality of offenses by wives to<BR> <BR> husbands. Wives committed 48.5% of all violent occurrences, and 54.8%<BR> <BR> of all violence termed "severe." In her 197778 Victimology article,<BR> <BR> "The Battered Husband Syndrome," (p.501) Steinmetz (U. of Delaware)<BR> <BR> reveals "The data from the nationally representative sample (Straus et<BR> <BR> al., 1977)... found wives slightly higher in almost all categories (of<BR> <BR> violence) except pushing and shoving."<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Gathered data plus insights gained from in-depth interviews, suggest<BR> <BR> that women are as likely to select physical violence to resolve<BR> <BR> marital conflicts as are men." (Ibid., p. 505)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> WOMEN ARE RESPONSIBLE, TOO<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> James Sniechowski, Ph.D. & Per Judith Shervn, Ph.D.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Forty-one percent spousal murders are committed by wives.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> The 1985 National Family Violence Survey, funded by the National<BR> <BR> Institute of Mental Health and supported by many other surveys,<BR> <BR> revealed that women and men were physically abusing one another in<BR> <BR> roughly equal numbers. Wives reported they were more often the<BR> <BR> aggressors. Using weapons to make up for physical disadvantage, they<BR> <BR> were not just fighting back.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> While 1.8 women annually suffered one or more assaults from a husband<BR> <BR> or boyfriend, 2 million men are assaulted by a wife or girlfriend,<BR> <BR> according to the 1986 study. The study also found that 54% of all<BR> <BR> violence termed "severe" was by women.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> The Journal for the National Association of Social Workers found in<BR> <BR> 1986 that among teen-agers who date, girls were violent more<BR> <BR> frequently than boys.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Mothers abuse their children at a rate approaching twice that of<BR> <BR> fathers according to state child protective service agencies surveyed<BR> <BR> by the Children's Rights Coalition.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Because men have been taught to "take it like a man" and are ridiculed<BR> <BR> when they reveal they have been battered by a woman, women are nine<BR> <BR> times more likely to report their abusers to authorities.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> The women's movement claims it's goal to be equal rights for women. If<BR> <BR> that is so, then women must share responsibility for their behavior<BR> <BR> and their contribution to domestic violence. Otherwise we remain in a<BR> <BR> distortion that overshadows the truth. Only the truth will show us the<BR> <BR> way out of the epidemic of violence that is destroying our families<BR> <BR> and our nation.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> In defending their point of view they are often disingenuous. They<BR> <BR> will rely on a domestic-violence researcher, like Murray Straus, who,<BR> <BR> in a widely-used 1986 study, reported that "a man's assault on a woman<BR> <BR> is far more likely to cause serious injury."<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> However, they do not reveal that it was Straus who also found, in that<BR> <BR> same study, that "women are about as violent within the family as<BR> <BR> men," and furthermore that "violence by wives has not been an object<BR> <BR> of public concern. It has not been defined as a problem."<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Rather than face the dilemma squarely, feminists classify references<BR> <BR> to battered males as backlash, relegating the issue to the status of<BR> <BR> an aggravating diversion and describe the men as "whiners." With that,<BR> <BR> the real injury done to men becomes irrelevant.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> California Governor Wilson's Focus On Fathers Summit -- Burbank,<BR> <BR> California -- June 13, 1995<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Wade Horn, National Fatherhood Initiative<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Our 3 decade experiment with fatherlessness has failed.<BR> <BR> 23 million children will be sleeping in fatherless homes tonight.<BR> <BR> The divorce rate tripled between 1960 and 1980.<BR> <BR> 40 out of 100 families divorce now compared to 16 out of 100 in 1960.<BR> <BR> llegitimacy has followed a geometric progression from 10.7% in 1970 to<BR> <BR> 33% today.<BR> <BR> 40% of children in fatherless homes have not seen their fathers for<BR> <BR> more than 1 year.<BR> <BR> 58% have never been in their fathers homes.<BR> <BR> 75% of single parent "familes" live in poverty versus 20% of 2-parent<BR> <BR> families.<BR> <BR> Single-parent [read: mother-headed] households produce:<BR> <BR> 60% of the rapists<BR> <BR> 72% of the murderers<BR> <BR> 70% of long-term imprisoned<BR> <BR> And I quote: "This is not an attack on mother-headed households.<BR> <BR> Fathers just do things differently and this can't be replaced with<BR> <BR> AFDC, Welfare, etc." Divorce has severe consequences on children. We<BR> <BR> must change the way we look at it. We are running out of time because<BR> <BR> soon majority of children will be raised in single-parent "families".<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> WE MUST STOP PUNISHING MEN. A woman on welfare who marries a man on<BR> <BR> minimum wage takes a 30% income reduction. WE MUST ENFORCE<BR> <BR> PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT. The issue is father contact, not money.<BR> <BR> [Standing Ovation]<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Sherman Block, Sheriff, Los Angeles County<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Children of single-parent households commit most of crimes.<BR> <BR> Does not know "why" fathers leave their homes. (Hasn't heard of the<BR> <BR> HHS "man out of the house rule"??)<BR> <BR> Must minimize this national disgrace.<BR> <BR> Sheriff's office involved in community programs by default because<BR> <BR> there is no other agency which can. But he must divert funds from<BR> <BR> other programs to handle this. [i.e., there is less money for<BR> <BR> "prevention"??] <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Tony Chipelow, Casey Foundation<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Mother-headed households grew from 6% in 1950 to 24% today.<BR> <BR> 19 million children are fatherless.<BR> <BR> Average income of 2-parent families is $43,000, versus $17,500 for<BR> <BR> female- headed "families"<BR> <BR> Young males today are far more likely not to get married, of all<BR> <BR> races, with less than half of blacks and 78% of Latinos<BR> <BR> Single-mother "families" are 5x more likely to be poor, 10x more<BR> <BR> likely to be extremely poor, 2x more likely to go to jail, and 3x more<BR> <BR> likely to have children as teenagers.<BR> <BR> A national priority should be made of 4 points:<BR> <BR> 1) Education reform.<BR> <BR> 2) Stop treating fathers as "marginal players".<BR> <BR> 3) Welfare reform.<BR> <BR> 4) Develop jobs for the 5 million who are not in the workforce. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Patrick Fagan, Heritage Foundation<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Our socio-economic problems stem from fatherlessness, not from<BR> <BR> poverty.<BR> <BR> Poverty stems from fatherlessness.<BR> <BR> The ill-effects of fatherlessness go across the socio-economic strata,<BR> <BR> including poor health, high infant mortality, poor cognitive<BR> <BR> development, behind their peers, lower impulse control (more sex and<BR> <BR> violence).<BR> <BR> When the agreement between the father & mother is weakened the social<BR> <BR> contract is weakened, leading to increased litigation.<BR> <BR> Crime increases across the socio-economic strata.<BR> <BR> Present GNP much lower than it would have been with strong 2-parent<BR> <BR> families.<BR> <BR> This risk to the future of our nation is much greater than the risk<BR> <BR> from the USSR could have ever been. STANDING OVATION!!!!<BR> <BR> Material needs and wants are not the problem - lack of interpersonal<BR> <BR> contact with fathers is the problem.<BR> <BR> BOOK OF VIRTUES made Bill Bennett and his publisher a millionaire<BR> <BR> because of the timing of his "loyalty, honesty" presentation.<BR> <BR> To reverse the problem might require us to raise our own children PLUS<BR> <BR> ANOTHER CHILD.<BR> <BR> Government must free up the family, schools, the economy, and churches<BR> <BR> to allow them to solve the problem - government cannot solve it alone.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Government has no competence in raising children!!! Allow education to<BR> <BR> play a larger role coupled with parental involvement.<BR> <BR> The goal is stable marriages. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Reginald Brass, Founder, My Child Says Daddy<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Described his organization's Triangle Theory - mother, father,<BR> <BR> children.<BR> <BR> His emotional account of his dealings with the courts got a standing<BR> <BR> ovation which helped to encourage Governor Wilson to promise a review<BR> <BR> of the judicial system and a "judges' college".<BR> <BR> Family courts are all we have, and they are negative, degrading, and<BR> <BR> must be educated. [Ovation]<BR> <BR> It would be easier for him to go to the social services department and<BR> <BR> adopt a child than to see his own children. [standing ovation] <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Timothy Johnson, 13, Big Brother Program<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Had a big brother for 3 years that he waited 2 years for.<BR> <BR> Provided male role model and someone to talk to about things he could<BR> <BR> not talk to his mother about [like about everything a teenager thinks<BR> <BR> about?] <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Anne Mitchell<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> , Attorney, single mother, founder FREE<BR> <BR> Governor Wilson is on the cutting edge.<BR> <BR> In her numerous dealings with divorce cases fathers are considered<BR> <BR> dispensable by single mothers.<BR> <BR> Fathers do believe they have nothing to contribute under the current<BR> <BR> setup.<BR> <BR> Enforcing child support costs $millions [she didn't say how much is<BR> <BR> collected versus how much it costs, but David Garrod shows how it<BR> <BR> costs more to collect than is collected]<BR> <BR> Even in cases where both parents agree to joint custody, 33% are<BR> <BR> awarded to the custody of the mother anyway, and even in cases where<BR> <BR> both parents agree to father custody, 13% are awarded to the custody<BR> <BR> of the mother.<BR> <BR> [Have a little hidden agenda, these judges???]<BR> <BR> When fathers are so restrained from their own children they "go away".<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "We must bring the dads back" got an ovation.<BR> <BR> "We must educate the family law judges" [Sure, and we must send dogs<BR> <BR> to training to make sure they don't bite cats] <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Wolfgang Hirczy, Senior Policy Advisor, FREE<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Governor has placed the issue of how the paternal role is<BR> <BR> affected by government policy on the national agenda.<BR> <BR> Government policy undermines the paternal role.<BR> <BR> Few fathers have adequate access to their own children because it is<BR> <BR> restricted by current government policy.<BR> <BR> But it is not just government's fault. Support and advocacy<BR> <BR> organizations AND FEMINISM think it is OK to throw the father out like<BR> <BR> dirty diapers and tying his hands behind his back, so they can pick<BR> <BR> his pockets, and they are the ones demanding this action from<BR> <BR> government.<BR> <BR> STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION<BR> <BR> The legislature must assure that children's access to their fathers is<BR> <BR> guaranteed.<BR> <BR> STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION STANDING OVATION<BR> <BR> And they must establish paternity at the hospital when the father is<BR> <BR> most likely to be present, to assure his involvement in the child's<BR> <BR> life. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Officer Frank Dipaol, LAPolice Department<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Personally started a community service alternative to jail time<BR> <BR> for teenagers. Almost all of the 600 kids who went through his program<BR> <BR> came from homes with no fathers. 10% of them were "turned around".<BR> <BR> [i.e., for 90% of them it was too late for a father image]<BR> <BR> "Oscar was one of those kids but he is now wearing a Police Explorer's<BR> <BR> uniform rather than baggy pants." <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Eloise Anderson, Director, Dept. Social Services<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> More important than money is parental involvement. Welfare cannot<BR> <BR> replace the father's role.<BR> <BR> Fatherlessness as described by the other presenters (and she knows the<BR> <BR> statistics and rattled them off faster than could be recorded) is the<BR> <BR> root of our social pathology.<BR> <BR> If parents decide on divorce we must mitigate the conflict.<BR> <BR> Marriage is for children, not for parents.<BR> <BR> The relationship of fathers to their daughters is also very important.<BR> <BR> ovation<BR> <BR> 2 out of every 5 children live without their biological fathers.<BR> <BR> "What happens in a childs life when he or she wakes up without a<BR> <BR> father?"<BR> <BR> AFDC moms are usually mated to their peers, not to rocket scientists,<BR> <BR> and thus don't have the opportunity to pay the child support ordered<BR> <BR> from them.<BR> <BR> Gov. Wilson implemented "wedfare" which allowed welfare to married<BR> <BR> couples so that both parents would be available to a child's life. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> David Blankenhorn, National Fatherhood Initiative<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> 40% of the children in the nation will be sleeping in fatherless<BR> <BR> homes tonight.<BR> <BR> We must honor the special role of our religious custodians, like the<BR> <BR> "Promise Keepers".<BR> <BR> PROPOSAL<BR> <BR> An eccentric, symbolic legislative gesture would be to pass a law<BR> <BR> prohibiting men from selling their sperm to sperm banks. This produces<BR> <BR> children who will never, never know fathers. Their fatherlessness is<BR> <BR> absolute.<BR> <BR> This social movement requires guys who are prepared to commit to:<BR> <BR> "Maximize the possibility that every child has a father".<BR> <BR> No-fault divorce started in California - it should end here. Must get<BR> <BR> rid of the term "no-fault".<BR> <BR> The non-filing spouse should be shown more power and respect than the<BR> <BR> filing spouse.<BR> <BR> California was the first state to hold a conference on fatherhood, and<BR> <BR> it shifted the debate dramatically. This is far bigger than both<BR> <BR> political parties and it can be fixed. This Summit assisted in<BR> <BR> formally recognizing fatherlessness as a problem.<BR> <BR> University of California studies on motherhood have outnumbered those<BR> <BR> on fatherhood by 5x suggesting alarming ambivalence about the<BR> <BR> importance of fathers. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Jim Cook<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> , Joint Custody Association<BR> <BR> Biological parents obviously come first, but 3 decades ago 80% of the<BR> <BR> children had grandparents close by, but now only 4% do. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Ken Canfield, Pres. National Center for Fatherhood<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "There is a deep father wound on the face of the California<BR> <BR> landscape. We must grieve first and then appreciate fathers."<BR> <BR> We have a foe - it is fatherlessness - and we need tools to fight it:<BR> <BR> 1) promote responsible fatherhood in the media.<BR> <BR> 2) resources for training and education.<BR> <BR> 3) prepare tomorrow's fathers before they are fathers.<BR> <BR> How to return teen fathers to their children since there are 1 million<BR> <BR> teen pregnancies and 500,000 teen childbirths per year, 85% of which<BR> <BR> are unplanned.<BR> <BR> The current stance on teen fathers is punitive, shows no support for<BR> <BR> them, labels them as deadbeat dads.<BR> <BR> Teen fathers desire relationships with their children but they receive<BR> <BR> no moral support from government. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Hogan Hillings<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Must promote father presence.<BR> <BR> Fatherlessness is a problem which feeds itself - a fatherless child<BR> <BR> grows up without a male role model and then has difficulty being a<BR> <BR> father to his own children. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Governor Pete Wilson, California<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Detroit Board of Education could not create an all male academy<BR> <BR> because it was sued by NOW and the ACLU for being DISCRIMINATORY TO<BR> <BR> WOMEN.<BR> <BR> "Judge missed the point that the long term benefits would also help<BR> <BR> women."<BR> <BR> [PS - Are these decisions judges are capable of making?]<BR> <BR> Asked "what percent of fathers would be available if they had a<BR> <BR> chance" and got a whole room full of blank stares. [100%??]<BR> <BR> His concern about fatherlessness is not a passing fancy which will go<BR> <BR> away.<BR> <BR> Human costs are larger than the dollar costs, but the dollar costs are<BR> <BR> enormous. In budget meetings he is struck by the enormous size of the<BR> <BR> welfare and prison budgets.<BR> <BR> Statutory rape should be prosecuted more vigorously to reduce teen<BR> <BR> pregnancy.<BR> <BR> The conference certainly will raise the public consciousness about the<BR> <BR> problems of fatherlessness. A concensus was reached in five areas:<BR> <BR> 1) teen pregnancy must be stigmatized through education, media.<BR> <BR> 2) families must be strengthened because families are the best<BR> <BR> environment for children.<BR> <BR> 3) policies must be developed to encourage and permit parenting by<BR> <BR> fathers.<BR> <BR> 4) strengthen laws holding parents responsible for children's actions.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> 5) must develop male role models for the children of mother-headed<BR> <BR> households. The Governor promised a review of the judicial system and<BR> <BR> a "judges' college" to make sure the judicial system does not remain a<BR> <BR> part of the problem.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> FATHERING, CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT & US PUBLIC POLICY<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> by Kingsley G. Morse Jr. Copyright 1995<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Introduction """"""""""""<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> An avalanche of data is showing that fathering is crucial to normal<BR> <BR> childhood development. Unfortunately, children are being deprived by<BR> <BR> certain public policies and when fathers work outside the home.<BR> <BR> Advances in telecommuting and new laws that protect the crucial<BR> <BR> father-child relationship may help.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Fathers are Crucial to Normal Childhood Development<BR> <BR> """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Quite a few statistics have been gathered on fatherlessness and<BR> <BR> abnormal childhood development. So many are summarized in this paper<BR> <BR> that the reader may want to take a deep breath before proceeding. The<BR> <BR> author and others believe the implications for our society are<BR> <BR> profound.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> The U.S. Census department has said that nearly one in four[1]<BR> <BR> children are born out of wedlock in the general population. Sadly,<BR> <BR> fatherless children are responsible for a disproportionately high<BR> <BR> percentage of juvenile delinquency. For example, considering that only<BR> <BR> 25% of children raised without fathers, then why are 63% of youth<BR> <BR> suicides from fatherless homes? (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the<BR> <BR> Census) Probably because these children were deprived of adequate<BR> <BR> fathering. Here are more disturbing statistics. Keep in mind that only<BR> <BR> 25% of children in the general population comes from fatherless homes.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from<BR> <BR> fatherless homes (Source: Center for Disease Control)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless<BR> <BR> homes (Source: Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26, 1978.)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source:<BR> <BR> National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from<BR> <BR> fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God`s Children.)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless<BR> <BR> homes (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> * 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home<BR> <BR> (Source: Fulton Co. Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of<BR> <BR> Corrections 1992)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> If the reader still doubts that fathering is vital to normal childhood<BR> <BR> development, perhaps the following expert opinions will be more<BR> <BR> convincing.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Daughters in single mother homes have more negative attitudes toward<BR> <BR> men in general and their fathers in particular." (pg. 146 , 2, lines 5<BR> <BR> - 8) Interparental Conflict, Relationship with the Noncustodial<BR> <BR> Father, and Adolescent Post-Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex<BR> <BR> Forehand, University of Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol.<BR> <BR> 11, No. 2, April - June 1990<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Children recover more rapidly from the emotional trauma of parents'<BR> <BR> separation when they maintain close ties with their fathers." (pg.<BR> <BR> 1013, Col. 2, 2, lines 13 - 24 continued on pg. 1014, Col. 1, 1, lines<BR> <BR> 1) Family Ties after Divorce: The Relationship Between Visiting and<BR> <BR> Paying Support - Judith A. Seltzer, Nora Shaeffer, Hong-wen Charing,<BR> <BR> University of Wisconsin, Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol. 51,<BR> <BR> No. 4, November 1989.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Adolescents who reported closer relationships with their non<BR> <BR> custodial fathers were assessed as displaying fewer internalizing<BR> <BR> problems." (pg. 139, 1, lines 8 - 10) Interparental Conflict,<BR> <BR> Relationship with the Noncustodial Father, and Adolescent Post-<BR> <BR> Divorced Adjustment - Gene Brody and Rex Forehand, University of<BR> <BR> Georgia, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 2, April - June<BR> <BR> 1990<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Fathers have much to offer their adolescent children in many areas,<BR> <BR> including their career development, moral development, and sex role<BR> <BR> identification." (pg. 284, col. 2, 5, lines 6 - 10) Increasing Our<BR> <BR> Understanding of Fathers Who Have Infrequent Contact With Their<BR> <BR> Children - James R. Dudley, Professor, University North Carolina,<BR> <BR> under a grant from Temple University, Family Relations, Vol. 40, No.<BR> <BR> 3, July 1991<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Frequent contact with the father is associated with positive<BR> <BR> adjustment of the children." (pg. 441, col. 2, 1, lines 18 - 20) The<BR> <BR> Effect of the Post Divorce Relationship on Paternal Involvement: A<BR> <BR> Longitudinal Analysis - Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., and Richard B.<BR> <BR> Miller, Ph.D., American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3,<BR> <BR> July 1993<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "Finally, girls whose parents divorce may grow up without the day to<BR> <BR> day experience of interacting with a man who is attentive, caring and<BR> <BR> loving. The continuous sense of being valued and loved as a female<BR> <BR> seems an especially key element in the development of the conviction<BR> <BR> that one is indeed femininely lovable. Without this regular source of<BR> <BR> nourishment, a girl's sense of being valued as a female does not seem<BR> <BR> to thrive." (Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Children: A Developmental<BR> <BR> Vulnerability Model Neil Kalter, Ph.D., University of Michigan,<BR> <BR> American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57(4), October, 1987)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "The impact of parental divorce and subsequent father absence in the<BR> <BR> wake of this event has long been thought to affect children quite<BR> <BR> negatively. For instance, parental divorce and father loss has been<BR> <BR> associated with difficulties in school adjustment (e.g. Felner,<BR> <BR> Ginter, Boike, & Cowen), Social Adjustment (e.g. Fry & Grover) and<BR> <BR> personal adjustment (e.g. Covell & Turnbull)..."<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> "The results of the present study suggest that father loss through<BR> <BR> divorce is associated with diminished self-concepts in children...at<BR> <BR> least for this sample of children from the midwestern United States."<BR> <BR> (Children's Self Concepts: Are They Affected by Parental Divorce and<BR> <BR> Remarriage Thomas S. Parish, Journal of Social Behavior and<BR> <BR> Personality, 1987, V 2, #4, 559-562)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Think of all the children who could benefit from more fathering! And<BR> <BR> beyond the children, think of all the tax dollars we could save if we<BR> <BR> needed fewer prisons, chemical abuse centers and other state- operated<BR> <BR> institutions!<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Causes and Cures for Fatherless Children<BR> <BR> """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Fatherlessness and abnormal childhood development are natural<BR> <BR> consequences of fathers working outside of the home and certain public<BR> <BR> policies.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> When their fathers leave home to go to work, children are at greater<BR> <BR> risk of abnormal development. Before the industrial revolution, most<BR> <BR> children had fathers who worked at home, on the farm. But the<BR> <BR> percentage of children who've had this luxury plummeted with the<BR> <BR> obsolescence of our farm based economy. Between 1820 and 1988, the<BR> <BR> percentage of people in farm occupations dropped from 72% to just 3%<BR> <BR> [2].<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Interestingly, recent technological advances may reverse this trend,<BR> <BR> if only slightly. Technological breakthroughs and plummeting<BR> <BR> telecommunication costs for phones, faxes and the internet are<BR> <BR> permitting some fathers to work at home and spend more time fathering<BR> <BR> their kids. Working at home means children can be fathered during the<BR> <BR> lunch hour and when their father would otherwise be commuting to and<BR> <BR> from work. Beyond the technological advances, trade organizations like<BR> <BR> the Home Office Association of America and the Small Office Home<BR> <BR> Office America are lobbying for tax deductibility for health costs and<BR> <BR> home office expenses, among other things. These bills are the "Home<BR> <BR> Office Deduction Act of 1995" and the "Self Employed Health Fairness<BR> <BR> Act of 1995". If passed, these will make it more economical for<BR> <BR> families to have fathers work at home, thus promoting more fathering<BR> <BR> and normal childhood development. Along with tax legislation for home<BR> <BR> offices, some county planners are zoning traditionally residential<BR> <BR> areas to permit home offices, cottage industries, and therefore more<BR> <BR> fathering and normal childhood development.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Even if more fathers do eventually work closer to their kids, we as a<BR> <BR> society will still need to relearn to appreciate fathers' contribution<BR> <BR> to normal childhood development. Toward this goal, president Clinton<BR> <BR> released a memorandum in June called "Supporting The Role Of Fathers<BR> <BR> In Families"[3].<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Several public policies have been criticized by father's rights<BR> <BR> lobbyists as harming the crucial father-child relationship.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> A public policy which probably exacerbates fatherlessness and abnormal<BR> <BR> childhood development is the use of so called "no-fault" divorce laws.<BR> <BR> They've made divorcing easy and typically result in the children<BR> <BR> having less time with their father. Marvin Mitchelson, a famous lawyer<BR> <BR> who specializes in man and woman relations has been quoted as saying<BR> <BR> "The [present] easy grounds [for divorce] and no- fault system of<BR> <BR> divorce [in some states] mean that anyone can go to court and get a<BR> <BR> divorce with very little effort."[4] The divorce rate rose steadily<BR> <BR> from 2.5 per 1,000 population in 1966 to a peak of 5.3 in both 1979<BR> <BR> and 1981.[5] Some states still don't have no- fault laws, and those<BR> <BR> that do might consider repealing them for the childrens' sake.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Another public policy which promotes fatherlessness and abnormal<BR> <BR> childhood development is awarding sole physical custody of children<BR> <BR> after divorce to one parent instead of joint physical custody. My<BR> <BR> understanding is that several states have tried to make joint custody<BR> <BR> the default, and some states, like Washington, even permit joint<BR> <BR> custody over one parent's objection. Joint physical custody helps<BR> <BR> children get the fathering they need to develop normally.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Most states don't enforce visitation agreements, which permits bitter<BR> <BR> ex-spouses to deny children visits with their fathers. Encouragingly<BR> <BR> Arizona, Colorado and Illinois have passed laws which enforce<BR> <BR> visitation.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Another public policy which promotes fatherlessness and abnormal<BR> <BR> childhood development is the immunity enjoyed by bitter divorcing<BR> <BR> spouses who file contrived restraining orders to separate children<BR> <BR> from their fathers. For example, a Massachusetts "209A" restraining<BR> <BR> order prohibits children from having reasonable visitation and<BR> <BR> adequate fathering, and this is routinely justified by unproven<BR> <BR> allegations. California has recently passed a law, SB 558, which will<BR> <BR> hopefully allow more fathering in that state. It makes false<BR> <BR> convictions of child abuse a justification for change of custody.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Another misguided public policy is the practice of putting children in<BR> <BR> day-care when divorced fathers are willing to care for them. Some<BR> <BR> states, like Virginia and California, have introduced legislation<BR> <BR> dubbed "Mrs. Doubtfire" bills that would permit children to be cared<BR> <BR> for by their fathers instead of sending them to a day care facility.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Welfare and child support from paternity suits are two more policies<BR> <BR> which subsidize illegitimacy and fatherlessness. Preliminary data<BR> <BR> shows that two thirds of fathers didn't intend to cause conception<BR> <BR> where the mothers were unwed[6]. This high percentage would explain<BR> <BR> why many fathers are absent. The rate of illegitimate births is<BR> <BR> soaring, and is now about one in four[1]. Remedial welfare legislation<BR> <BR> is often proposed in Congress, and the National Center for Men is<BR> <BR> pressing for a federal suit to give men who would otherwise be absent<BR> <BR> fathers the right to decline fatherhood and child support. By making<BR> <BR> welfare and child support from paternity suits harder to get, there<BR> <BR> would be less economic incentive to have children who won't have<BR> <BR> adequate fathering.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Conclusion """"""""""<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Studies are showing how crucial fathering is for normal childhood<BR> <BR> development. Fathers who work at home and new laws protecting the<BR> <BR> father-child relationship may help.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> References """"""""""<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [1] The U.S. Census Bureau, "Fertility of American Women: June 1992".<BR> <BR> (San Jose Mercury News 7/14/93)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [2] The World Almanac 1991, Pharos Books, 200 Park Avenue, New York,<BR> <BR> NY 10166 (page 128)<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [3] Memorandum For The Heads Of Executive Departments and Agencies,<BR> <BR> U.S. President Bill Clinton, June 16, 1995, "Supporting The Role Of<BR> <BR> Fathers In Families"<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [4] The Jacoby and Meyers Practical Guide to Everyday Law, 1985, Simon<BR> <BR> and Schuster, Inc., New York, NY<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [5] National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Advance Report of<BR> <BR> Final Divorce Statistics, 1989 and 1990, Monthly Vital Statistics<BR> <BR> Report, Vol. 43, No. 9, Supp. For Release April 18, 1995<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> [6] DRAFT COPY of Unintended Births: Women's Attitudes vis-a-vis their<BR> <BR> Male Partners' Attitudes: 1982-1990, Joyce C. Abma and Linda J.<BR> <BR> Piccinino, NCHS, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, (301)<BR> <BR> 436-8731<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> ---------------------------------------------------------------------<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <A TARGET=_new HREF="http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/damneus/home.htm">Fathers' Manifesto</A> <BR> <BR> <BR> </P> <P> <HR></P> <P>© 1996 Fathering Enterprises. All rights reserved. </P> <P><A HREF="http://www.fathermag.com/"><IMG SRC="../imx/fthrfam.gif" HSPACE=5 BORDER=0 HEIGHT=38 WIDTH=39 ALIGN=LEFT><B>Fathering Magazine</B></A> </P> </BODY>