It seems so simple, really. Just a name on a form. But babies whose fathers are identified
on their birth certificate have a much better chance of surviving that first precious year of
life than their peers, research reveals.
 

And that’s only the beginning. The statistical connection between father involvement and
child development, while often underplayed in our society, is startling. A father’s impact
touches every aspect of a child’s life: his health, his safety, his happiness, his success in
school and in relationships. Consider the following:
 

• Children in father-absent homes are 5 times more likely to be poor than their peers.
   
• Infants without a father’s name on their birth certificate were 2.3 times more likely to die in the first year of life compared to their peers.
   
• Living in a single-parent home doubles the risk that a child will suffer physical, emotional or educational neglect.
   
• Children in father-absent homes are 1.6 to 1.8 times more likely to use tobacco and are 1.5 to 1.9 times more likely to use alcohol.
   
• Teens without fathers were twice as likely to be involved in early sexual activity and 7 times more likely to get pregnant.
   
• Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.
   

Source: The Father Factor, from the National Fatherhood Initiative

Click Here to read more information about the importance of Fatherhood in CSC's newsletter, For Our Children.