The Decline of Marriage. Is Fatherhood Superfluous in Today’s Society?

As the Supreme Court debates gay marriage, it’s no secret that the traditional institution of marriage between a man and a woman has lost value in the US and abroad. CNN reports that more people “shack up” now rather than get married. Along with that trend we have a dramatic growth of fatherless “families” and a skyrocketing unwed teen mother birth rate- no long term “shacking up” involved, just a sperm donor who moves on to greener pastures or should I say greener partners. Our “new normal” culture accepts single parenthood and a variety of non traditional family arrangements without judgement. Unwed mothers, live in boyfriend(s), multiple sex partners and an acceptance of casual and irresponsible sex are no longer shocking or even discouraged. Many believe this is all ok. But it's not. The decline of the traditional nuclear family and especially the dramatic increase in fatherless families correlates with increased poverty, the achievement gap, crime, child abuse, substance abuse, violence and a host of other societal ills. Aid To Dependent Families payments (welfare), designed to replace the absent father’s financial support, is part of the root cause- it provides a financial incentive for fathers to disappear- thus encouraging fatherlessness. Our government, schools, church groups, community groups- everyone- should be working to develop policies and practices to support and encourage marriage before childbearing and a culture that values a father for more than just a sperm donation. I will explore additional negative effects of this cultural shift to fatherless families in future blogs and, hopefully, some solutions. Any ideas?