The
National Fatherhood Initiative has just released their landmark study, "
Mama Says: A National Survey of Mother's Attitudes on Fathering". Conducted by researchers from the University of Texas, this fascinating study takes an in-depth look at how today's mothers view fathers and fatherhood. So, what did "Mama Say"? Some of the key findings include:
- 93% of moms believe there is a father absence crisis.
- Most moms think dad is replaceable.
- Married and cohabiting moms were happier with dads' performance than moms not living with dad.
- Married moms believe more in the power of marriage to help dad be the best he can be than moms who are cohabitating or separated from dad.
- Dads of young children got better marks than dads of teens.
- Closeness to children and work-family balance were the biggest predictors of mom's satisfaction with dad (after living arrangement).
- Most moms said they could do a better job of work-family balance if dad provided more help.
- Moms said that "work responsibilities" were the biggest obstacle to dad's success in fathering.
- Strong religious values are beneficial to helping dads be better fathers.
- Moms think communities of faith are the top place for dads to get fathering help.
- Nonresident dads think they're doing a better job than the moms who co-parent with them think they are.
- African-American moms weren't as happy as white or other minority moms, but most of the difference can be explained by living situation or family structure.
- New romantic relationship for dads equals less happy moms.
- Moms who aren't living with the father of their children identified more and stronger obstacles to his ability to parent.
The full study can be found
here
