The role of the father has been denigrated to the point where the term is a sad joke. Father's are every bit as important as mothers if not more so. Single parent households where mom is in charge are 10x as likely as two parent household to have negative outcomes. A single father has an up-tick in negative outcomes but it is in the same ballpark as a two park family. Women have a huge role from ages 1-7. from 8-14 dad's role grows. By 14 it is the presence of a father that has the biggest impact on the reduction of negative outcomes. Negative outcomes here being incarceration, scholastic performance, and the creation of a child out of wedlock.