Laying to Rest Five Myths About Fathers and their Children
This article by University of Virginia sociologist, W. Bradford Wilcox is one of the best in a long time (National Review, 6/19/09). In clear, concise language, he skewers five myths about fathers, mothers, children, divorce and parenting. He's right on the money on all points. Wilcox is anticipating mainstream media articles on Father's Day.
First, he wants us to understand that, feel-good articles notwithstanding, there is no "Mr. Mom surge." Men still see themselves as primarily breadwinners and aren't about to drop that role to become stay-at-home-dads.
And second, women don't want them to. The flip side of men doing the lion's share of the earning is that women do the lion's share of childcare. The myth Wilcox lays to rest is that women want everything 50-50. They don't, as countless studies show.
Third, Wilcox points out that marriage itself is important to mothers, fathers and children. Co-habiting is simply not a substitute. For example,
As Sandra Hofferth of the University of Maryland and Kermyt Anderson of the University of Oklahoma found in a recent study, married fathers are significantly more involved and affectionate with their children than are cohabiting fathers. In fact, from their research, they conclude “that marriage per se confers advantage in terms of father involvement above and beyond the characteristics of the fathers themselves.”
Fourth, divorce harms children. The idea, advanced in law in the sixties and seventies, that no fault divorce was acceptable because parents shouldn't have to live in uncomfortable relationships, overlooked one "party to the transaction," the child. Interestingly, Wilcox adds something new (at least new to me). Apparently research shows that children born after about 1980 show a much lower tolerance for divorce than those born earlier, with the result that "the divorce rate among this cohort has fallen off sharply."
Finally, Wilcox sweeps aside the myth that fathers are disposable or exchangeable. Readers of GlennSacks.com know well that they're not, but Wilcox reasserts the importance of what he calls the "now-vast" social science literature that proves it. Mainstream media continue to deny and obscure the fact, but it's still a fact.
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