The data is in: "...even the strongest community safety net in America cannot fully substitute for a present father."
Emily Blackhurst, a recently graduated Wheatley Scholar, worked with BYU's School of Family Life to conduct an analysis of Utah fathers' impact on child development. The data touched on a question currently being discussed by scholars: does having a strong community "cancel out" or replace the need for a father? The data suggests it doesn't.
Blackhurst specifically points to grade and mental health outcomes as particularly notable evidence for the importance of engaged fathers. "In Utah, a dad in the home means a child is more than twice as likely to get straight As," she explains. "But if that dad is missing, Utah kids actually struggle more academically than the national average. Children in father-present homes, both in Utah and nationally, are also less likely to be diagnosed with depression. Utah children ages 4 to 17 in father-absent homes experience depression at almost triple the rate (14%) compared with homes where a father is present (5%)."