The Future of America Begins with Fathers

While many feel justifiable anxiety about the nation’s future, research shows that it can be far brighter—if we reinvest in the foundational relationships most critical to the well-being of our children and communities: the family. And at the center of every thriving family is a supported, engaged, and celebrated father.

While every family is unique, decades of research has confirmed what many instinctively know: fathers matter. When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, the outcomes are overwhelmingly positive. Children with active fathers perform better in school, exhibit greater emotional stability, develop stronger social skills, and are far less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression. According to a 35-year longitudinal study, the strongest predictor of whether a child carries their faith into adulthood is the quality of their relationship with their father—not with their mother, not with their church, but with their dad. Warm, emotionally connected fathers don’t just shape individual lives—they shape communities.

In contrast, father absence is one of the strongest predictors of negative life outcomes. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, children from fatherless homes account for 90% of homeless and runaway youth, 71% of high school dropouts, and 70% of juveniles in state-run institutions. The research is not just correlational. Decades of rigorous studies have established causal links between father absence and lower academic achievement, increased behavioral problems, early puberty, teen pregnancy, and long-term mental health challenges. In short, when fathers are missing, society suffers.

A 2024 study using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study found that the emotional closeness teenagers feel with their fathers is a direct predictor of their self-rated health. This connection is fully mediated by mental health in boys and partially in girls, highlighting just how essential the father-child bond is—particularly for sons. Another study found that when fathers were disengaged from their infants as early as three months old, their children were significantly more likely to exhibit behavioral problems by age 11. And in families where fathers struggled with untreated depression, their children—especially daughters—faced higher risks of emotional and psychological distress.

Fatherhood also plays a powerful role in curbing risky behavior. Girls who report closeness with their fathers are significantly less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior or drug use in college. Middle- and high-school students with strong relationships with their dads are less likely to binge drink or abuse substances. In rural communities, adolescents without a father in the home are more likely to engage in early sexual activity and report lower self-esteem.

Even academic performance is strongly tied to father involvement. A meta-analysis of nine studies found that a father’s participation in his child’s education—both at school and at home—was more predictive of academic success than maternal involvement. Children with involved fathers demonstrate better emotional regulation, more confidence, and higher cognitive performance.

The bottom line is this: when fathers show up, families flourish—and when families flourish, communities thrive. Strong families create value for everyone around them—fostering mutual benefit and reinforcing the institutions most essential to human progress.

America’s strength has always rested on the resilience of its people, particularly within the home. If we want to reverse despair and restore hope, we must build a culture that supports and celebrates fathers—not just symbolically, but systemically. That means creating the conditions that encourage family stability, workplaces that accommodate fatherhood, schools that engage dads in education, and churches that mentor young men for the responsibilities of fatherhood—not through mandates, but through partnership and empowerment that unleashes their potential.

There are 72 million fathers in America. Many are already doing the quiet, heroic work of raising children, loving their families, and guiding the next generation. These men are not the source of America’s decline—they are the solution to it.

As we approach this milestone anniversary, let us remember that the American future is not fated. America is what its fathers make it. It will be built—brick by brick, home by home, father by father. If we invest in fathers, we invest in our children. And if we believe in our fathers, we can believe—once again—in the promise of America.