Importance of Fathers in Child Development

Fathers are important. Men are important. This should not be controversial.

For most of human history, children have been raised by both parents. Across cultures and generations, the survival and success of societies has depended on the complementary roles of mothers and fathers. Nurturing children is not exclusive to women. It is instinctive, natural, and well within the capacity of men.

Yet modern family law systems increasingly operate as if fathers are optional, or as if they are a risk to be managed. This worldview is not supported by evidence, and it is harming children.

Fathers and Child Development: What the Evidence Shows

The importance of fathers in child development is supported across multiple disciplines. Children with involved biological fathers tend, on average, to show better emotional regulation, stronger behavioural control, higher resilience and confidence, and improved educational and social outcomes.

Fathers contribute differently to development than mothers. They are more likely to encourage independence, enforce boundaries, introduce challenge, and expose children to manageable risk. These functions are not secondary. They are foundational to producing capable, well-adjusted adults.

Reference:
Sarkadi A, Kristiansson R, Oberklaid F, Bremberg S. Fathers’ involvement and children’s developmental outcomes: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.
Acta Paediatrica. 2008.
Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18052995/.
Accessed 28 January 2026.

The Importance of Fathers for Sons

For boys, the biological father is a primary model of adult masculinity.

A father teaches a son how to manage aggression without becoming destructive, accept discipline and consequences, tolerate discomfort and failure, and develop competence through effort.

When fathers are absent or marginalised, boys are more likely to struggle with impulse control, authority, and identity. This is not a criticism of mothers. It is a recognition that no substitute can replicate the developmental role of a father.

The Importance of Fathers for Daughters

The importance of a father for a daughter is equally profound.

A father plays a critical role in shaping self-worth and boundaries, expectations of male behaviour, comfort with assertiveness and authority, and vulnerability to exploitation.

Girls with present, involved biological fathers are, on average, more confident and less likely to enter abusive relationships. A father’s presence provides a baseline of protection and stability that carries into adulthood.

Why Children Are Safer With Their Biological Fathers

Modern family law is built around the assumption that children are at risk of physical harm from their fathers. This assumption is deeply embedded in policy, training, and court practice.

It is also grossly distorted.

The evidence consistently shows that biological fathers are the least likely adult males to harm children. The greatest risk arises from unrelated adult males entering a child’s environment, most commonly through a mother’s subsequent relationships.

When courts marginalise fathers and place children primarily with mothers by default, they often increase, not reduce, a child’s exposure to risk.

Reference:
Schnitzer PG, Ewigman BG. Household Composition and Risk of Fatal Child Maltreatment.
Pediatrics. 2002;109(4):615–621.
Available at: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/109/4/615/64050/Household-Composition-and-Risk-of-Fatal-Child.
Accessed 28 January 2026.

Discipline, Risk, and Healthy Development

Highly protected modern societies have changed the developmental environment for children. Food, shelter, healthcare, and physical safety are largely guaranteed.

What children increasingly lack is exposure to challenge, responsibility, risk, and consequence.

Fathers are far more likely to provide this. Rough-and-tumble play, boundary testing, and controlled risk-taking are not dangerous. They are developmentally necessary.

Overprotected children do not become resilient adults. Fathers play a critical role in preventing that outcome.

Reference:
Freeman EE, Waitt C, Favez N, et al. The Relationship between Father–Child Rough-and-Tumble Play and Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Outcomes: A Systematic Link With Self-Regulation.
(Open-access full text). 2022.
Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9315721/.
Accessed 28 January 2026.

Why Family Law Systems Undervalue Fathers

Family law systems are not neutral. They are built around a risk-based worldview that treats fathers as potential threats and mothers as default protectors.

This framing sustains conflict and fuels entire industries, including family law litigation, welfare administration, domestic violence advocacy, and the assessment and compliance regimes that sit around them.

A system built on resolution would shrink. A system built on presumed risk expands. Children pay the price for this distortion.

Supporting Children Means Supporting Fathers

Children need the love of both parents. But the evidence is clear: the biological father is vital to balanced, healthy development. Other arrangements can work, but on average they are inferior.

Public policy should reflect this reality. Shared parenting, where safe and appropriate, is not a concession to fathers. It is a protective measure for children.

This includes reforming systems such as child support that create financial and legal incentives to marginalise fathers and dominate care. If we genuinely want better outcomes for children, we must stop treating fathers as disposable.

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Public policy must be directed to ensuring that children get what they deserve: a close relationship with their father as well as their mother. We should adopt a new child support scheme that takes away some of the financial incentives for mothers to dominate care. Fathers matter too.