Effects of Absent Fathers on Daughters Relationship Development Essays

Words: 1979
Pages: 8

According to the US Census Bureau, 36.3% of children are living absent of their biological fathers. Beginning in 1960 with 8% of children living without their biological father, that percentage has continued to increase. The issue of absent fathers has raised many questions as to what effects this has on individuals and society. Absent fathers (a term that can consist of many different things) can have a profound effect on the development of their daughter's relationships, especially when it comes to their relationships with other men. While the research on this topic may be lacking, what is out there is clear that fathers do play an important role in their development. Women can face things such as becoming sexually promiscuous, low …show more content…
While the research on the effects of an absent father has shown that it is important to have a father figure, there has also been research that contradicts this idea. The first is abusive fathers. While having a positive father figure during the child's development is seen to have good effects, this is not the case if the father figure is not a positive one (Downs & Rindels, 660). It has been shown in studies that having no father at all is better for the girl's development than having an abusive father figure (Downs & Rindels, 660). An abusive father can cause alcohol problems and mental health problems among many things. Women who had an abusive father during their development reported significantly higher scores of anxiety, depression, and trauma than girls who reported having an absent father (Downs & Rindels, 660). Another issue that goes against the idea that having a positive father figure present is lesbian households. In this situation there is no father, but two mothers. While past research with suggest that children of lesbian parents would experience the same issues as those who had an absent father, this is not true. Children who have been raised in lesbian households with no male figure did not show higher instances of psychological disorders or difficulties with relationships than children growing up with heterosexual parents (Golombok, Perry, & Burston, 21). The only difference that could be noted between heterosexual