Fatherlessness
In the arguments that are put forth on the subject of "fatherlessness", in order to strengthen the paternal position in custody disputes (noting that most of these disputes involve allegations of abuse, and research shows that most of these allegations are well founded, if not able to be legally substantiated) there are many questions that remain unanswered.
Children are entitled to ideally have loving and protective parents,or adults who fulfill that obligation. But when parenthood is marred by violence, assault or other issues relevant to the welfare of the children then measures must be taken to foremostly protect the children from ongoing harm.
Significant changes recently implemented and interpreted in the Family Law Act, has put the "meaningful relationship" aspect as first priority regards 'benefit' to a child. With no power to conduct its own investigation, and reliance on reports of dubious nature, Family Court judges are unable to legally determine that there is risk of, or abuse has taken place.
It is noteworthy that allegations of violence and/or 'paternal alienation' made against mothers are often upheld, with little or no reference to the impact of 'motherlessness' upon the children.
There is no doubt that children flourish best in a loving environment with both of their natural parents. But history shows that many children have also thrived and succeeded as adults without contact with their biological father. Some of the children who grow up experiencing problems in life may have been 'fatherless', but often times the lack of paternal contact was and still is the choice of the father himself. This was especially so before DNA could prove paternity and support of children was not enforceable, and men could 'sow their wild oats' without consequence.
However, when it comes to the "fatherlessness" arguments, used to promote contact, the real question is this: "Is a violent and abusive father better than no father at all?"
Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Whose‘Best Interests’ in the Family Court?
The father had a history of convictions for violence to the mother and other adults and for property damage, and there were allegations of child physical and sexual abuse. Despite the history of violence there were a number of statements in the judgment that defined the children, aged 9 and 7 years, as needing father presence for their ‘future development’. This discourse discounted the 9 year old child’s ‘consistently stated fear’ of the father and the child’s expressed wish for no contact with the father. The ‘benefit’ to the child from the fatherchild relationship was not defined.
Patriarchal discourses, which reinforce the powerful role of fathers in family and social life, were used to idealise the father-child relationships, excuse or trivialise the abusive behaviours of fathers, to blame mothers, and to marginalise children as incompetent witnesses of their own lives.
Mum doesn't live with us any more
More than 150,000 UK mothers live apart from their children. as courts increasingly give custody to fathers, Catherine Bruton reports on the rise of 'mothers apart' . Penny Cross of Match (Mothers Apart from Their Children) estimates that there are more than 150,000 mothers living apart from their children in the UK, and the numbers are rising every year.
When fathers dont want to be fathers...2005 post abortion review
Statistics indicate there is a high level of coercion driving women into unwanted abortions and that the male partner plays a central role in 95 per cent of abortion decisions.
The 2005 Post Abortion Review by the Elliott Institute in the US claimed 80 per cent of women would give birth if given support.
An abortion clinic security guard testified that women were threatened or abused by men who took them to there and, in the US, murder is the number one cause of death among pregnant women.
Single moms and successful sons
Conventional wisdom is that boys who grow up without fathers are at greater risk of problems, from doing poorly in school to substance abuse. So how does that account for the high-profile successes of standouts such as Sen. Barack Obama, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and others who were reared by single mothers? Another expert on fatherhood, sociologist Tim Biblarz of the University of Southern California, said the evidence shows economics plays a significant role in the risk for negative outcomes, such as poorer grades and lower educational attainment, substance abuse or poor social adjustment.
Fathers Rights and Family Law
One of the most significant influences on children’s well-being is the quality of parenting and family relationships. Conflictual and unhappy relationships are damaging to children, in both‘intact’ marriages and between separated parents. In situations where children do not live with their fathers, contact with fathers is not by itself a good predictor of their well-being. Instead, the most consistent predictor is fathers’ ‘authoritative’ parenting – that is, parental encouragement and support and non-coercive rule-setting and monitoring. Some families are characterised by parental conflict, drug abuse, mental illness or violence. Couples in these circumstances are more likely to divorce, and their children are more likely to show behaviour problems, both before and after divorce.
Shared custody deals on the rise but do not last
Nine months after landmark changes to the Family Law Act came into effect, more fathers are applying for shared care of their children, experts say, and more fathers are becoming the primary carer. But as-yet-unreleased research indicates shared care is an arrangement that may not last long. The data shows many couples revert over time to one parent being the main carer.
Do we really need all these fathers?
DADS – who needs them? Dads are dangerous. Stepdads are deadly. - this article was forwarded to many with the introduction below: - which makes one wonder about the ilk of those who are promoting the 'anti fatherlessness' agenda..
"No doubt we are all aware how the cornerstone of society, "the Family", is being destroyed - internally and externally - by the forces of evil, and the consequences thereto. After reading the "article" could anybody hold a straight face and say that the shit4brains, pindicked moron author (of the article) is not a good enough reason to inflate the statistics by 1!!!
"What chance does a cohesive and harmonious society have of existing in the face of the bile spewing from the likes of this despicable dross!!! "
"Do we really need all these shit4brains, pindicked morons!!!"
Less Father than there should be.
Why is there no contravention of orders when fathers do not turn up for contact? It cost a fortune to settle on terms of contact that were acceptable to my child’s father, and now six months down the track he never even bothers to turn up.
I had to “move on” because the children had to have a “meaningful relationship” with their father and I was to actively encourage their ‘happy’ participation in this.Well, I did. I told them that daddy had changed now that he was not living with us. That he loved them and wanted to be close to them. He did seem OK for a couple of months and I was starting to enjoy a bit of ‘time out’ from the kids and get some part time weekend work. That was before he discovered internet dating though. I guess he has a ‘right’ to that as well.
Australian Men's Experience of Non Resident Fathering
In a recent qualitative study, one hundred and thirty-five Australian nonresident fathers from varied educational and socio-economic backgrounds were interviewed and spoke of their post-separation parenting experiences. In their efforts to maintain strong relationships with children, they acknowledged the importance of interparental relationships. They identified work, former partners and the sole-residence arrangement as obstacles to their meaningful engagement with children and to their significant contribution to children's lives. They reflected on their own fathers' influence on their attitude to fathering and on what fathering meant to them. They recognised the impact of separation on their fathering, with the various stresses and parental satisfaction it has brought. They expressed strong views on child support and on what they perceive to be a biased legal system. Their voices, at times temperate, at times angry, deserve a hearing if we are to understand and encourage them to remain engaged with children.
Fathering and children — the contemporary context
Father absence "has striking economic consequences for the children" . And of course, poverty is strongly related to "high rates of school failure and drop-out," and the other negative outcomes for young people.. Is it the father absence that is the crucial factor for these negative outcomes, or is it the resulting economic hardship? Changes in the composition of families and in the workforce through increased unemployment for men and increasing rates of employment for women have also been part of the public debate over the well-being of children.
Divorce and Fatherhood Statistics
Whenever statistics are presented in support of a one sided argument, an intelligent and compassionate reader should ask “what else do these figures show that has not been told?” We have asked some those questions, (with today’s climate in mind) in response to these presentations. No doubt there are many more .These statistics are used by “fathers rights” to “prove” what failures sole mothers are as parents and that 'marriage' should be preserved by any means possible.
Fatherlessness and the Family Law Reform Fiasco
Fatherlessness has been shown to increase the likelihood of increased poverty, increased crime, increased incarceration in a prison, increased likelihood of violent sex crimes against women, increased drug abuse, lower educational performance, increased susceptibility to mental health problems, increased risk of suicide and increased likelihood of child sexual abuse. If Australia can increase the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible and committed fathers, we can begin to solve the problem of fatherlessness in Australia.
Domestic Violence And Children
In homes where domestic violence occurs, children are also at high risk of suffering physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Whether or not they are physically abused, children who witness domestic violence suffer significant emotional and psychological trauma said to be similar to that experienced by victims of child abuse.
Childhood Bullying Involvement and Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence
The objectives with this study were to describe the prevalence of bullying involvement (ie, bullying and victimisation) among children from a multigenerational study and to examine the relationship of these childhood behaviours and exposure to intimate partner violence.
Stop Blaming Good Men
The Fatherhood Foundation is arguably the most respected organisation in this country that espouses family values and the critical role good fathers play in maintaining those values. I am especially heartened that the FF affirms and supports the new outcasts of our affluent, egalitarian society, namely the single dads doing it tough.
Reference List: Father Absence
Australian Institute of Family Studies has much material on aspects of families and children. This is a reference list, that examines the effects of 'father absence' that can be accessed via enquiry to the AIFS.
Exposure to Degrading Versus Non degrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth
Early sexual activity is a significant problem in the United States. Sexual themes are common in much of this music and range from romantic and playful to degrading and hostile. Although a previous longitudinal study has linked music video consumption and sexual risk behaviour, no previous study has tested longitudinal associations between the content of music lyrics and subsequent changes in sexual experience, such as intercourse initiation, nor has any study explored whether exposure to different kinds of portrayals of sex has different effects.
Footballers pay a penalty but our X-rated culture must share the blame
The insidious growth in porn has blurred the line between normal and deviant, leaving many young people sexually confused and morally adrift, writes:
Another key issue is the relationship between the mainstream and the margin. Even if we regard explicit sexual images as relatively harmless, our experience suggests that, unrestrained, it leads to the portrayal of more extreme and degrading forms of sexual behaviour. For example, the history of porn in Scandinavia shows it was only a matter of years before images of nude women became images of consensual sex between adults and then images of very young children being penetrated by adult men – to the concern of some of those who had championed sexual liberation.
Early Menarche
Whilst early onset of puberty is considered normal and no cause for alarm, scientists have been puzzled why the onset of puberty has advanced so quickly in this century. Now research in New Zealand is finding that having a father present in the family is a significant factor in delaying pubertal development. Could this finding explain why the average age of menarche (first menstruation) occurs on average, at age 12 instead of 16, as it did 100 years ago?
My dad, Mellow Hildow
But then one day as I was kicking a football, shotgunning a VB and jump-starting a Kingswood - all at the same time - that I realised I had been raised by a real man after all. And I’d just like to say to him: Thanks Mum.
OTHER SUBJECT HEADINGS:
Fatherlessness
Unacceptable Risk
Shared Parenting
Child Support
Child Development
Contravention