Podbit · Modern Wisdom
Father absence peaked in 2005 when only 67% of US kids lived with a dad — down from 88% in 1960. But that number has since rebounded to 76%. The real picture is more nuanced: many non-residential fathers are deeply involved, and the binary of absent vs. present misses the many shades of paternal engagement.
Where this was said
At 33:51 · chapter starts 33:48
The 'deadbeat dad' narrative is partly true and largely oversimplified. Saxbe charts the data: in 1960, 88% of American kids lived with a father at home; that fell to a nadir of 67% in 2005 before rebounding to around 76% today — a U-shaped trend that the binary absent/present framing entirely misses. [1] — Darby Saxbe "Father presence rebounded to 76%: Father presence in US homes dropped from 88% in 1960 to 67% in 2005, but has since rebounded to about 76%…" 33:51 Many non-residential fathers are deeply involved in caregiving; the real variable is the degree of engagement, not a simple presence or absence. Saxbe makes the point personal, describing how her own parents' divorce led to her father transitioning from a relatively hands-off caregiver to a fully primary parent on alternating weeks. She closes the segment with the story of a man who spent 3 years in jail during his son's early childhood, reconnected through parenting classes, and now directs a Project Fatherhood programme at Homeboy Industries in LA — a testament to the dial's ability to be turned back up at any point.
Father presence in US homes dropped from 88% in 1960 to 67% in 2005, but has since rebounded to about 76% of children living with a father figure at home today.
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