More fathers are going solo in raising kids.
It's a change that single fathers say shows greater acceptance
by American families and courts that sometimes the best place for
children is with Dad.
The 2000 census found:
In 2.2 million households, fathers raise their children without
a mother. That's about one household in 45.
The number of single-father households rose 62 percent in 10
years.
The portion of households headed by fathers with children
living there doubled in a decade, to 2 percent.
Single fathers say the numbers help tear down a long-standing
conception that single fathers tend to abandon their kids, or at
least not take as good care of them as single moms, said Vince
Regan, an Internet consultant from Grand Rapids, Mich., who is
raising five kids on his own.
"In time, it goes a long way to helping society think that
single fathers do help their kids and want to be part of their
lives," he said.
Thomas Coleman, executive director of the American Association
for Single People, attributed the rise in single dads to a variety
of reasons, including more judges awarding custody to fathers in
divorce cases and more women choosing their jobs over family life.
The percentage increase in single-father households far outpaced
other living arrangements. The "Ozzie and Harriett" household,
where both parents raise the children like on the old TV show,
increased by 6 percent, and single-mother homes were up by 25
percent.
Single Dads Need Help, Too
Father-headed households are still only a small percentage.
Married couples with children make up 24 percent of all households.
They were 39 percent of all homes in 1970. Single-mother homes made
up 7 percent of households in 2000, up from 5 percent over 30 years
ago.
Single fathers "need help just as much as single mothers,"
said Darryl Pure, a psychologist from Chicago who has had sole
custody of his three children for four years, but they have a
harder time asking.
"There's often a fear among single fathers that if the mother
steps in, she'll regain custody, so single, custodial fathers don't
go after child support as much as single mothers do, and I know a
lot of fathers that are really impoverished," Pure said.
The Census Bureau counts single fathers in a category that could
allow other adults, such as the child's grandparents, to be
present, but bureau analysts said research shows that most of the
men in the category are raising a child alone.
The bureau released basic figures for 21 states and the District
of Columbia this week on topics ranging from age to home ownership.
Other states are scheduled to be released later this month.
According to 2000 census data being released Friday, some of the
biggest increase in single-father households occurred in southern
and western states: up 126 percent in Nevada, and 74 percent in
Delaware.
By Genaro C. Armas
By Genaro C. Armas
