Vice President Al Gore’s opening address at the recent National Summit on Fatherhood was a historic event for fatherhood, and I was proud to have been a participant. And the keynote address of Dr. William Galston, deputy assistant to President Clinton for domestic policy, convinced me that the Clinton administration has a keen understanding and compassion for the role of fathers both in parenting and our society.
Many children in this nation do not have access to their fathers and the United States now is the world leader in fatherless families. In the early 1970s, Sweden reported the greatest amount of single-parent families. But the United States passed Sweden in 1986 when 24 percent of our families were headed by a single parent. Now we are up to 30 percent. This surely weakens our family unit and our social fabric.
Data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics show that approximately 29 percent of white and 66 percent of black children do not live with their biological fathers. Also, 94 percent of Aid to Families with Dependent Children cases represent single-parent families.
The results of these statistics are alarming, especially considering that violent criminals overwhelmingly are males raised without fathers. It is obvious that the positive father-son relationship and bonding process is essential in both raising emotionally healthy children and in keeping them out of prisons as adults.
Social researchers William Galston and Elaine Kamarck have reported, “The relationship (between family structure and crime) is so strong that controlling for family configuration erases the relationship between race and crime and between low income and crime. This conclusion shows up time and time again in the literature.”
As both a matrimonial lawyer based in Chicago and an executive board member for the National Congress For Men and Children, I see the emotional strain on children disconnected from their fathers as well as the need to safeguard the future of our nation’s children. Reconnecting fathers with their children can only strengthen the family unit, the foundation of our society.
Gore accurately wrote, in part, the following to me after the summit: “The role of men in childrens’ lives was the main focus of this years’s conference. The physical, emotional and financial role of fathers is critical to childrens’ well-being. Often, men truly want to become more involved in their childrens’ lives but encounter certain societal restraints. Therefore, men should be encouraged to actively participate in the care of their children and given the opportunity to do so.”
Gore’s insight into this national issue should not be ignored. Positive involvement by fathers with their children should reduce crime, benefit our society and require no new taxes. So, let’s encourage it now.