Why Fatherhood Engagement Matters

Fatherhood engagement is a key factor in the growth and development of young children. Research shows that they benefit directly from an engaged father figure in their lives. According to the California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP), an engaged father is one who feels responsible for and behaves responsibly toward his child, is emotionally engaged and physically accessible, provides material support for the child’s needs, is involved in childcare, and influences child-rearing decisions.

In today’s world, the absence of fatherhood engagement or a father has become a growing problem. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 3 U.S. children live in a home without their biological father. Research confirms the importance of having two parents when raising children. However, a troubling issue has occurred in the last few decades: the absence of fathers and the rise of families headed by single mothers.

Why is it important for father figures to be present in children’s lives, and why does fatherhood engagement matter? Here are the top reasons.

Impact on Early Development

Research on early childhood and brain development shows the positive, lifelong impact fathers can have by being engaged early in their children’s lives. The father-child relationship can be as important as the child’s relationship with the mother in early development. Father involvement is linked to positive infant health outcomes, such as improved weight gain in preterm babies and better breastfeeding rates.

The absence of father engagement in a child’s early years has lasting effects. An uninvolved father figure hinders development from early infancy through adulthood. There are psychological effects of a father figure’s absence that will persist throughout their lives.

Gender-Specific Benefits

It’s natural to assume that fatherhood engagement impacts boys’ development more than girls’. However, that isn’t the case. A father figure’s involvement has unique but proven impacts on both sexes.

Father engagement reduces behavioral problems in young boys and decreases delinquency and economic disadvantage in low-income families. For girls and young women, it reduces psychological issues and depression.

Having both a mother and father figure assists a child in achieving balanced development, regardless of gender. According to the Department of Health & Human Services, studies show mothers and fathers have different playing and communication styles, which play unique but vital roles in development. For example:

• Fathers promote more exploratory, independent behavior in their young children and engage them in more physical and stimulating play than most mothers.
• When talking to young children, mothers simplify their words and speak at the child’s level, while fathers speak in ways that challenge the child’s language skills.
• Mothers are more likely to show warmth and reasoning with their preschoolers, while fathers tend to be stricter and more demanding.

Exposure to different but complementary parenting styles prepares a child for various experiences outside the home, including future relationships.

Better Relationships

Children with involved father figures are more likely to grow into adults who have strong, lasting marriages. In contrast, children with underdeveloped home relationships struggle to develop healthy connections.

Research shows that high levels of father involvement correlate with “higher levels of sociability, confidence, and self-control in children. Kids with involved fathers are less likely to act out or engage in risky adolescent behaviors”. Fatherhood engagement impacts professional, career-based, and personal relationships.

Better Chances of Success

A child’s engagement with their father impacts their learning from elementary to high school. Studies show children with involved fathers are 43% more likely to earn A’s and 33% less likely to repeat a grade than those without engaged fathers.

When dads are involved at school, either engaging with students in the classroom or interacting with teachers, faculty, or other parents, their children learn more and perform better, exhibit healthier behavior, are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities, have fewer discipline problems, and enjoy school more.

This trend continues as the child moves into adulthood and towards independence. Children who feel close to their father “are twice as likely as those who do not to enter college or find stable employment after high school, 75% less likely to have a teen birth, 80% less likely to spend time in jail, and half as likely to experience multiple depression symptoms”. Other research indicates that fatherhood engagement promotes problem-solving skills in school and career settings.

This trend stems from the authoritative influence of a father figure. Ideally, the father figure uses an authoritative parenting style to combine love with clear boundaries and expectations, to motivate a child to succeed and instill successful habits and desires. Overall, father involvement usually leads to better emotional, academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for children.

General Happiness and Positive Outlook

Engaged fathers yield long-term benefits for children. Analysis of over 100 studies found that “having a loving and nurturing father was as important for a child’s happiness, well-being, and social and academic success as having a loving and nurturing mother.”

A study mentioned in the report found that a father’s presence in the family promoted significant cognitive outcomes. Toddlers with involved fathers were more secure and likely to explore the world enthusiastically and positively, contributing to a lifelong inclination towards independence.

Better Stress Management

The emotional effects of having an engaged father figure are significant and not limited to childhood. People with involved dads during childhood are more likely to handle stress better. Related findings indicate that fathers’ emotional absence (psychologically disconnected, not physically) negatively affects child development. When the father does not emotionally invest in the relationship, the child struggles to develop appropriate emotional reactions, such as stress management.

Additional Benefits

Fathers can positively impact child welfare outcomes. One study found that children with involved fathers spend “less time in foster care, are more likely to reunify, and have a lower likelihood of subsequent maltreatment allegations.”

If you’re a father and commit to a relationship with your child, you’ll create a positive bond, improve both lives and experience gains in development and life decisions.

At the end of the day, it’s not the number of hours spent together as father and child but the quality and strength of that time. It’s why non-resident fathers can positively impact children’s social and emotional well-being, achievement, and development. Engaged fathers, whether living with or apart, can foster a child’s healthy development.

To learn more about this topic and our Father Engagement Program, visit our website.