Jack Brewer,
April 13, 2023
FACT SHEET: Fatherlessness In Nevada
Fatherhood is foundational to strong families, and strong families are essential to a strong Nation. An absent father affects all aspects of a child’s life, from socio-cognitive and socio-emotional development to academic performance and criminality—and unfortunately, the effects of fatherlessness are visible in Nevada.
FATHERLESSNESS IN THE U.S.
- Approximately 18.4 million children in the U.S. live without a biological father, stepfather, or adoptive father present in the home.
- 23% of children in the U.S. are raised by a single parent, which is more than three times the world average (7%) of children raised by a single parent and the highest rate of any country on Earth.
- Approximately 41% of children are born to unwed mothers. For women under age 30, the unwed birth rate increases to 53%.
- Fathers are absent in approximately 80% of single-parent homes.
- Fatherless children are more likely to suffer from psychosocial development issues, live in poverty, drop out of school, engage in school violence, abuse substances, and enter the juvenile justice system.
FATHERHOOD AND FAMILY IN NEVADA
- 260,000 Nevada children live in single-parent households, representing 39% of all Nevada children.
- 16,420 births to unmarried women occurred in Nevada in 2020, accounting for 49% of all births in the state that year.
- 1,506 teen births took place in Nevada in 2020.
- 4,344 children reside in foster care in Nevada.
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES IN NEVADA
- 73% of Nevada 4th-graders scored “below proficient” in reading for their class level.
- 72% of Nevada 4th-graders scored “below proficient” in mathematics for their class level.
- 41% of Nevada 4th-graders are considered “chronically absent” from school.
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN NEVADA
- 453,250 children in Nevada, or 46.7% of all children in the state, receive supplemental nutrition assistance.
- 213,000 children in families are receiving public assistance in Nevada.
- Approximately 129,000 Nevada children live in poverty— 19% of all Nevada children.