75% of teenagers who commit suicide and 70% of juvenile delinquents are children belonging to fatherless homes. These facts and figures are in direct proportion to the divorce rates. Evidential proof to support this has not yet been gathered. But the fact that increases in crime rate and divorce rates are linked, has been proved by circumstantial evidence over the past few years.

The link between child offenders and divorce rates has perplexed many. Single parents have brought up successful and happy children. But this is not the case in majority of the situations. Nature has intended that children be raised by both the parents. A single parent cannot satisfactorily fulfil the role of two.

Both the parents are important in the life of a child. Neither parent can duplicate the role of the other. Unfortunately, the increase in divorce rates has created an increase in children from fatherless families as the mother is often given custodial rights.

Children from Fatherless Families

Cause and Effect

Children love their mother and father. When the father is forced out of their life, the love they feel for him is rudely rebutted. This fills them up with anger. Aggression and anger are closely linked. Aggressive children are 50% more likely to have problems with their teachers. Subsequently, these children turn school dropouts. This sets in motion a chain reaction.

The low educational qualifications of these school dropouts fetch them only low-paid jobs. Low-paid jobs are a direct route to job dissatisfaction and unemployment. Unhappy youth resort to drug and drink for comfort. Predictably, their indulgence in crime or other risky behaviour is also quite high.

Such youth marry young, divorce fast and perpetuate the negative cycle.

Emotional State of Mothers

Lone mothers are more likely to suffer stress-related depression. Their emotional state affects their relationship with their children. They also suffer more physical sickness compared to other married women. This effectively prevents them from giving the requisite loving attention.

Lack of attention creates behavioural problems in children. Unruly behaviour of children is a cause for concern for 30% of single mothers. And they have a serious argument with their offspring leading to other complications. 90% of the runaway children are from single parent families.

Effects Right from Birth

Death of infants due to the sudden infant death syndrome is seven times higher among children born to cohabitating couples.

Growing up, these fatherless children are 56% more likely to exhibit signs of mental sickness. Children staying with the maternal mother and a step-father are 70% more likely to be subjected to emotional or physical abuse.

Children in single parent families thus suffer severely. This unhappiness of theirs has given rise to severe repercussions.

Absence of a Father in a Girl’s Life

Absence of a father figure in the life of children affects both boys and girls equally. However, the absence of a father in the life of a daughter was never recognised.

· Fathers are the first role models for the girls. Girls, who turn young women under their father’s loving care, turn assertively independent. They do not resort to aggression.

· Aggression is normally the characteristic exhibited by girls who know no father. A father in the house is necessary to provide the girls the required security. Insecurity leads to aggression.

· Women without fathers desperately long for male attention. They probably need men outside the family to make them feel secure.

· Though these fatherless girls often long for the love of men, they are unable to create loving relationships. Their father had abandoned them once. This creates a fear of abandonment. This ever-persistent fear of rejection prevents them from forming healthy relationships.

· They ultimately find men who are abusive and the unfulfilled love leaves deep void.

· They hope to fill this void in their life with a baby. This leads to increasing teen pregnancy among fatherless daughters.

· Fatherless daughters often enter into a depression. The reasons are not far to seek. The absence of love in life creates anger. Anger turned inward is depression.

The role of a father in the life of children is vital. Children devoid of a father figure marry early, and divorce soon. They, thus, transmit the negativity associated with the lack of a father figure to the next generation. This is greatly damaging the fabric of society and has to be arrested.