Why Learning is a Hard Haul Without a Dad

Research over the last few years has shown that, on average, children from sole parent families have significantly lower levels of school achievement than children from couple families. This lower achievement is reflected in early school dropout, lower grades, more suspensions, and more grade repetition. The Western Australian Child Health Survey in 1997 found that 30% of children from sole parent families were low academic performers, compared with 17% from couple families. A large number of studies in Australia and other countries confirm this general trend.

The increases in the rates of divorce, separation and births outside a couple family mean that more and more children are being raised by sole parents. Since 1989 the proportion of sole parent families has increased from 14 per cent of all families to 21 per cent; and 91 per cent of these families are headed by women.

The facts are plain enough, but are the causes of the poor educational performance in sole parent families economic or social/familial; or perhaps a mixture of both?

'30% of children from sole parent families were low academic performers'

Some researchers contend that the causes are primarily economic. They point to the decline in sole parent incomes, especially for mothers, that follows divorce and separation and to the fact that sole parent families subsisting entirely on welfare allowances have incomes about half that of the average couple family.

More financial resources can obviously make a difference for children’s education. It can mean more books, computers and other forms of equipment to aid education. But this ignores the many other contributions, apart from money, that families make to a child’s education.

The largest and most obvious problem for sole parent families is the absence of a second parent for the children and a partner for the parent. Fatherless families are by far the most common type of sole parent family. Children deprived of the input that most fathers make to control, discipline, criticism, monitoring of behaviour and help with homework are clearly at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, it is often the case that contact with the father diminishes rapidly following divorce or separation.

Trying to find the time and energy to raise a family and maintain the household without the support or assistance from a partner can be tough. Inevitably something has to give. Lone mothers tend to be less authoritative than are couple mothers supported by a partner and less effective in enforcing rules and controlling their children’s behaviour. A lack of discipline and supervision can lead to serious behaviour problems that are likely to carry over to school and affect school performance.

One of the most common reasons for disadvantage in a lone mother family is the lack of a male role model for the children, especially boys. There is some research suggesting that fathers act as a motivational role model for success and that, in the absence of a father, children’s motivation levels to achieve academically may decrease.

There is also evidence showing that children in sole parent families have sibling care and domestic responsibilities above and beyond those of children in two parent homes. These extra responsibilities can have an adverse effect on school achievement, as time and energy which could be spent on schoolwork, is spent elsewhere.

'Simply adding a new parent or partner to the equation will not necessarily solve the problems'

To add to this, the relationship between a sole parent and the child is often not as good as that between children and married parents.

Consequently children in sole parent families are more prone to emotional and socialisation problems, contributing to problems at school and disrupting study patterns.

It is these effects of differing family structures, added to the harsh economic climate and reduced educational capital in sole parent families, that underpin their children’s lower educational achievement. Simply adding a new parent/partner to the equation will not necessarily solve the problems associated with sole parenthood. The problems arise either because there never was an original couple family, or, if there was, that it has disappeared, probably for ever. This is not a criticism, or stigmatisation, of sole parents, for we can never know the circumstances that led to their individual situations. But we cannot ignore the broader consequences for their children.

About 18 per cent of school children, almost one in five, live in sole parent families. This constitutes a major educational and social problem arising mainly from a disadvantaged family background that will not be solved by money. Getting a good education without a dad around can be tough, for it seems that the best situation for a child’s education is a stable intact family.

 

About the Author:
Alison Rich is a Policy Analyst with the Taking Children Seriously research programme at The Centre for Independent Studies.  This article is based on her Issue Analysis paper, Trailing the Class: Sole Parent Families and Educational Disadvantage.