Enact Shared Parenting in South Carolina

Father absence, one of our time's more disturbing trends, affects mothers and fathers alike, but more significantly places unwarranted hurdles before children. Twenty-four million children (34 percent) live absent from their biological father (Horn, Sylvester, 2002). Children in Father-absent families tend to suffer poverty and a lower-quality life.

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative publication,Father Facts, in 1999, 8 percent of children in married-coupled families were living in poverty, compared to 42 percent of children in female-householder families. Children from single parent homes-regardless of income-are two to three more times more likely to suffer behavioral or emotional problems than those with both biological parents in the home. They are more vulnerable to engaging in crime as demonstrated by the vast majority of inmates coming from fatherless homes.

Children in father absent homes are also more likely to have school problems such as repeating a grade or dropping out, further hurting their chances to earn livable wages. Most low income, absent fathers come from father absent homes themselves.

Futhermore, children from father-absent households are more likely to have sex as teens, and fatherless children often have children out of wedlock more often than the norm, perpetuating this vicious cycle.