Stats & Facts

There are over 18 million fatherless children in the US.
Fatherless families are 4x more likely to live in poverty than that for married-couple families.
70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from single-parent homes
71% of teachers and 90% of law enforcement officials state that the lack of parental supervision at home is a major factor that contributes to violence in schools.
In a study of 56 school shootings, only 10 of the shooters (18%) were raised in a stable home with both biological parents. 82% grew up in either an unstable family environment or grew up without both biological parents together.
The average income for a single-mother family working full-time is $40,000 a year, lower than the average income for a single-father family or a two-parent family. Single moms also often find it difficult to work long hours, since they must also care for their children.
Of America’s roughly 2 million prisoners, over 800,000 are parents—and 92 percent of those are fathers.
Most adolescents who enter the justice system have suffered from parental abandonment, substance abuse, or a dysfunctional household.
Around 2.7 million children have at least one parent in prison
In 2023, there were 7.3 million single mothers in the United States.
Single motherhood has increased rapidly in recent years.
Nearly 4 of out 10 children were born to unwed mothers.
1 in 5 children under 18 years of age, are being raised without a father.
Poverty rate for single-mothers in 2023 was 32.2%.
31.6% of Native American female-led families lived in poverty.
28.4% of Black female-led families lived in poverty.
27.6% of Hispanic female-led families lived in poverty.
19.3% of White female-led families lived in poverty.
49.8% of families led by single-mothers were food insecure.

Child Care Access

Nationally, infant care costs averaged of 40% of the income for a single mother and 30% for school grade children.
Child care subsidies are difficult to obtain with waiting lists, frozen assistance programs and years long waiting times.

Getting Ahead Challenges

They lack the time, funds, and support to obtain the additional education necessary to secure a better job.
They confront the ever-present dilemma of finding quality, affordable child care.
They lack the formal safety net to guard against an economic shock, leaving them one accident or illness away from losing everything.

What does God say?

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5
Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. Exodus 22:22-23
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other. Zechariah 7:10