ArlenJ.com
September 23, 2020
There are many reasons why “The Pursuit of Happyness” was such a successful film. Will Smith is obviously a huge draw when it comes to movies. It’s a true story spiced up with Hollywood magic. The mostly-rags throughout the film, to implied riches in the end, also makes for a great story line.
But the 2006 biographical drama is also indicative of a new phenomenon that is not spoken about much in the United States.
The 1960s were a time when family was the top priority in society. Married mom and dad households were 92% of the United States in 1960, according to the Pew Research Center. Today that number is only 67%. The most disturbing part of this trend is with African American families. Over 80% of African American babies were born to a married mom and dad in 1960. That number dropped to 23% in 2015. There are plenty of reasons for both the overall drop in nuclear family households overall and with African American families. But that is a blog for another day.
Fight for fatherhood
Single motherhood is a rallying point for feminists and politicians. It is a central talking point in the overall war on men. Mainstream media and educators simply ignore the other reality that affects millions of children across the country – single fatherhood. Only 1% of all U.S. households were headed by a single father in 1960. That number has increased nine-fold since that time. Today single father households account for nearly a quarter (24%) of all single parent homes in the United States, compared to being 14% of single parent homes in 1960.
The vast increase in single father households can be attributed to several factors. Changes to family court systems and the laws thereof are perhaps the most glaring factor. The Father Rights Movement began in the 1960s as divorces increased and blatant bias in favor of mothers was rampant across the country’s family courts. The “every other weekend” arrangement was standard for father custody, whether the mother was more fit or not. That began changing a couple decades ago. Now many states have enacted 50/50 custody laws and give fathers a realistic chance at full custody based on the situation.
The National Parents Organization names eight states – Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah – as being the favorable for father rights. Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and South Carolina are considered bad states for father rights.
Profile of single fathers
A majority of single fathers are divorced. Most single mothers, by comparison, have never been married. Single dads tend to be slightly older and more educated than single mothers. Single fathers are also more likely than single mothers to be co-habitating. Poverty is twice as likely with single mother homes compared to single father homes.
There are many negative tendencies for children that grow up without their fathers. The National Fatherhood Initiative found that children without fathers are twice as like to drop out of school, twice as likely to be obese, and seven-times more likely to be teen parents.
Alpha fathers
Men face many challenges in 2020. Single fathers are a unique, yet growing segment of the population that needs the same type of support, admiration and respect as single moms. The system, unfortunately, is set up to favor only single mothers, leaving single fathers to fend for themselves in many respects.
The ALPHA by Prodigy Mindset™ Gym is rooted in the true definition of alpha as it relates to the entire animal kingdom. It’s imperative for single fathers to live in a perpetual alpha mindset due to all the pressures and responsibilities. Internal Monologue System (IMS) conditioning and wiring ultimately determines how single fathers balance parenting, career and relationships. This only happens with repetition and guided training.
Learn more about the ALPHA by Prodigy Mindset™ Gym today.