BEFORE  anyone goes any further, the comments in this section DO NOT IN ANYWAY suggest that same sex parents or a single mother CAN NOT raise a child properly.  The teacher writing this is a product of a single mother home, for the most part, from the time he was in 2nd grade. IT was not until his 11th grade year that his father did anything other than call him on Wednesday, take him to breakfast on Saturday mornings and take him to 1 Phillies game each summer.  There are hundreds if not thousands of children in single mother homes AND also hundreds if not thousands of children in American homes where a birth parent is not involved and they are being raised in a same sex, 2 parent home.  THESE home raising situations can certainly work

HOWEVER

The need for father or father figure in a growing child's life has been well documented.  

In 2008, Then President Barack Obama stated "Children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison."  

According to the NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE, a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, PA offering support classes to men for being a father:     

•  According to the 2018 report by the U.S. Census Bureau based on 2010 data, 19.5 million children live without a father in their home.  This comes down to about 1 in 4 

• Women with absent fathers are more likely to have children with absent fathers

• Children who live with their fathers (or active father figure). do better in school

• Girls who live with an active father have fewer psychological problems than their counterparts who live in a home with an absent father

• Fewer behavior problems are recorded in school for boys ages 5-17 if they have an active father at home

• Studies by the American College of Psychiatrists indicate that children ages 5-12 with involved fathers demonstrate enhanced emotional and social health compared to children with absent fathers.

• a 2012 study showed that boys age 12-17 are less likely to be involved in drugs or gun violence if they lived with their dads

• Children in single mother homes are 47% more likely to live in poverty

• a 2015 study of over 120,000 inmates of state prisons across the United States indicated over 70% of total inmates and over 86% of inmates imprisoned for violence crimes, did not have a consistent, actively involved father growing up.

The above bullet points are some of the numerous facts, statistics and/or other data points available on the site. NOTE, some of these stats are specific for a father living in a home and some are specific to involved fathers meaning, they may not live in the home but are active in their child's life. Furthermore, a father figure otherwise known as a positive male role model, can often substitute for the absence of a father.

It should also be mentioned that some families may have a physically present father but that father may still be absent due to lack of involvement in the child's life.

AGAIN, this is not to say that a single mother can not raise a child on her own.  This is also not suggesting that 2 females, 2 males or 2 other wise non-binary parents can not properly raise a child.  The site also does not speak on the differences associated with involved foster parents or adopted parents in comparison to birth parents.    It does however demonstrate a strong correlation between  the involvement of fathers in their developing children's lives and specific physical, intellectual, social, & emotional and behavior issues.  If you are a male a student who is going to be a father, make a commitment to help be there for your child as they grow.