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The National Fatherhood Initiative recently released a fascinating study of what mothers think about fatherhood.
* 93% of mothers believe there is a father-absence crisis in the United States today.
* Their attitudes varied dramatically by whether mom was married to or lived with dad or not. Mothers who did not live with the father of the focal child were about twice as likely as other mothers to strongly agree that fathers are replaceable.
* Married moms were happier with dad's performance than unmarried moms.
* Most moms think dad is replaceable.
What do dads have to say about all this? Read more....
Indiana to Protect Marriage in 2010
Will One Man Hold it Hostage Again?
Citizens of 31 other states have chosen to constitutionally protect one man/one woman marriage in their states.
But one man has held hostage Indiana's chance for a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage, encouraging judicial activism and the homosexual agenda... while silencing the voice of Hoosier values.
Family – the best “Stimulus Package” for America
In these uncertain economic times, we want to keep our jobs. But it also appears that the best “stimulus package” we can get would be to either get married or stay married for the benefit of the whole family.
Research has long shown that the family – an intact mother and father for the children – isn’t just an old notion. It is a predictor of greater wealth, better health, less crime and higher educational attainment for the children.
In the state of Indiana, and across the country, we’ve gone to great lengths to restructure our property tax systems. But if we want to take an honest look at factors that affect our economy, including government spending, we must get past being “judgmental” about families and look honestly at this significant drain on both our fiscal resources and on the family as a creator of human and social capital.
As we plan for the future, new data is showing us that the family and the economy are intricately intertwined. Where do the issues of family and the economy meet, and how do we start to talk about them? In the “family and children’s committee” or in the “tax and fiscal committee”? What impact do they have on our workforce, our tax base, our spending on services?
A first-of-it’s-kind report now shows the financial cost of family breakdown (or families not forming at all, in the case of unwed childbearing) and it points to $839 million per year in Indian alone. The researchers admit that they took a narrow, conservative estimate in their first foray into such economic impact analysis (it didn’t include Medicaid, or the cost of alcohol and drug abuse, for example). If this number is, indeed, the tip of the iceberg in Indiana, then let’s look more closely at this issue to see just how deeply it hits our economy.
Click on the study to learn more about the issue and see all fifty state estimates.
Indiana Family Institute will start this dialogue in the state of Indiana. Watch this space for more information in the future. |
Faith Matters
Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D. of the Heritage Foundation has produced some fascinating research on the importance of faith to many other areas of life. “Regular attendance at religious services is linked to healthy, stable family life, strong marriages, and well-behaved children. The practice of religion also leads to a reduction in the incidence of domestic abuse, crime, substance abuse, and addiction. In addition, religious practice leads to an increase in physical and mental health, longevity, and education attainment. Moreover, these effects are intergenerational, as grandparents and parents pass on the benefits to the next generations.”
Click here to learn more.
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