While America is known as an exceptional country, the United States has managed to set one world record that is nothing to be proud of.
This week, Not the Bee contributor pointed to data published by Pew Research showing that American children are more likely than kids anywhere else to live in a single-parent home.
Almost one in four American children live in a single-parent homes
Pew’s study of 130 countries found that nearly one out of every four children in the United States under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults.
At 23%, that figure is more than triple the 7% global average and well above the 15% of Canadian children who live under similar circumstances. Only the United Kingdom comes close, where 21% of kids live with a lone parent.
Meanwhile, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria and 5% of children in India live in a single-parent household.
The United States is also unusual in that comparatively few children reside with extended family members. Whereas 8% of American kids live with aunts, uncles, and grandparents, the global average stands at 38%.
Fatherlessness linked to social problems
This past June, Republican Reps. Burgess Owens and Byron Donalds collaborated with former NFL star Jack Brewer on a Fox News opinion piece in which they argued that the lack of fathers in too many children’s lives is a problem that needs to be addressed
“We know that fatherhood is essential to the development of our children, and the increased involvement of fathers in the home leads to better results on a wide variety of outcomes,” the trio wrote.
“For example, 85% of children and teens with behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes, and over 70% of all adolescent patients in drug and alcohol treatment centers originate from homes without fathers,” they continued.
“Fatherless youth eventually become adults who, without the structure of a two-parent household, struggle to gain their footing in the world.”
The authors went on to tout legislative responses to fatherlessness, such as Florida’s HB 7065, which “included millions in funding for educational and mentorship programs for at-risk youth and support for struggling fathers.”
“We encourage other state governments throughout the union to both recognize and champion fatherhood as we—alongside many others—have as well,” they declared.