Statistics
"Ninety percent of divorced fathers have less
than full custody of their children." Jonathan M. Honeycutt, Ph.D.(c),
M.P.A., M.A., I.P.C. Director of Research, Clinical & Consulting Psychotherapist,
National Institute for Divorce Research, Panama City, Florida.
Children from fatherless homes account for:
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63% of youth suicides. (Source: US Dept. of Health &
Human Services, Bureau of the Census).
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71% of pregnant teenagers. (Source: US Dept. of Health &
Human Services)
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90% of all homeless and runaway children.
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70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from
fatherless homes (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)
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85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders. (Source:
Center for Disease Control).
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80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger. (Source: Criminal
Justice & Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26, 1978).
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71% of all high school dropouts. (Source: National Principals
Association Report on the State of High Schools).
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75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers.
(Source: Rainbows for all God`s Children).
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85% of all youths sitting in prisons. (Source: Fulton Co.
Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992).
The State of Fatherhood
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37.9% of fathers have no access/visitation rights. (Source:
p.6, col.II, para. 6, lines 4 & 5, Census Bureau P-60, #173, Sept 1991.)
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"40% of mothers reported that they had interfered with the
non-custodial father's visitation on at least one occasion, to punish the
ex-spouse." (Source: p. 449, col. II, lines 3-6, (citing Fulton) Frequency
of visitation by Divorced Fathers; Differences in Reports by Fathers and
Mothers. Sanford Braver et al, Am. J. of Orthopsychiatry, 1991.)
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"Overall, approximately 50% of mothers "see no value in the
father`s continued contact with his children...." (Source: Surviving the
Breakup, Joan Kelly & Judith Wallerstein, p. 125)
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Only 11% of mothers value their husband's input when it comes
to handling problems with their kids. Teachers & doctors rated 45%,
and close friends & relatives rated %16.(Source: EDK Associates survey
of 500 women for Redbook Magazine. Redbook, November 1994, p. 36)
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"The former spouse (mother) was the greatest obstacle to
having more frequent contact with the children." (Source: Increasing our
understanding of fathers who have infrequent contact with their children,
James Dudley, Family Relations, Vol. 4, p. 281, July 1991.)
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"A clear majority (70%) of fathers felt that they had too
little time with their children." (Source: Visitation and the Noncustodial
Father, Mary Ann Kock & Carol Lowery, Journal of Divorce, Vol. 8, No.
2, p. 54, Winter 1984.)
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"Very few of the children were satisfied with the amount
of contact with their fathers, after divorce." (Source: Visitation and
the Noncustodial Father, Koch & Lowery, Journal of Divorce and Remarriage,
Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 50, Winter 1984.)
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"Feelings of anger towards their former spouses hindered
effective involvement on the part of fathers; angry mothers would sometimes
sabotage father's efforts to visit their children." (Source: Ahrons and
Miller, Am. Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 63. p. 442, July `93.)
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"Mothers may prevent visits to retaliate against fathers
for problems in their marital or post-marital relationship." (Source: Seltzer,
Shaeffer & Charing, Journal of Marriage & the Family, Vol. 51,
p. 1015, November 1989.)
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In a study: "Visitational Interference - A National Study"
by Ms. J Annette Vanini, M.S.W. and Edward Nichols, M.S.W., it was found
that 77% of non-custodial fathers are NOT able to "visit" their children,
as ordered by the court, as a result of "visitation interference" perpetuated
by the custodial parent. In other words, non-compliance with court ordered
visitation is three times the problem of non-compliance with court ordered
child support and impacts the children of divorce even more.Originally
published Sept. 1992
Child Support
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Information from multiple sources show that only 10% of all
noncustodial fathers fit the "deadbeat dad" category: 90% of the fathers
with joint custody paid the support due. Fathers with visitation rights
pay 79.1%; and 44.5% of those with NO visitation rights still financially
support their children. (Source: Census Bureau report. Series P-23, No.
173).
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Additionally, of those not paying support, 66% are not doing
so because they lack the financial resources to pay (Source: GAO report:
GAO/HRD-92-39 FS).
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The Poverty Studies Institute at the University of Wisconsin,
Madison discovered in 1993 that 52% of fathers who owe child support earn
less than $6,155 per year.
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66% of single mothers work less than full time while only
10% of fathers fall into this category. In addition, almost 47% of non-custodial
mothers default on support compared with the 27% of fathers who default.
(Source: Garansky and Meyer, DHHS Technical Analysis Paper No. 42, 1991).
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Total Custodial Mothers: 11,268,000. Total Custodial Fathers
2,907,000 (Source: Current Population Reports, U.S. Bureau of the Census,
Series P-20, No. 458, 1991).
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66% of all support not paid by non-custodial fathers is due
to inability to pay. (Source: U.S. General Accounting Office Report, GAO/HRD-92-39FS
January 1992).
The following is sourced from: Technical Analysis Paper
No. 42, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Income
Security Policy, Oct. 1991, Authors: Meyer and Garansky.
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Custodial mothers who receive a support award: 79.6%
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Custodial fathers who receive a support award: 29.9%
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Non-custodial mothers who totally default on support: 46.9%
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Non-custodial fathers who totally default on support: 26.9%
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