"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: " (Malachi 4:5)

The Father Factor

Data on the Consequences of Father Absence

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America -- one out of three -- live in biological father-absent homes.

Consequently, there is a "father factor" in nearly all of the social issues facing America today.

Father Factor in Poverty

Children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. In 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only families.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Children’s Living Arrangements and Characteristics: March 2011, Table C8. Washington D.C.: 2011.
In 2008, American poverty rates were 13.2% for the whole population and 19% for children, compared to 28.7% for female-headed households.
Source: Edin, K. & Kissane R. J. (2010). Poverty and the American family: a decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 460-479.
From 1970-1996, there was a 5% increase in child poverty that was nearly all attributed to the rise in single-parent families, especially never-married mothers.
Source: Sawhill, I. V. (2006). Teenage sex, pregnancy, and nonmarital births. Gender Issues, 23, 48-59.
A study of nearly 5,000 children born to parents in 20 large US cities found that unmarried childbearing helped sustain high poverty rates due to multiple partner fertility and relationship instability.
Source: McLanahan, S. (2009). Fragile families and the reproduction of poverty. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 621, 111-131.

More http://www.fatherhood.org/media/consequences-of-father-absence-statistics

There’s an excellent book out by Donald Miller called *Father Fiction* that deals with his own childhood and the effect not having a father had on him.

It’s written mostly for guys by a guy but there were still chapters in there that can reach women. It really is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the importance of the intact family.