Study: Absent Fathers Make Life Harder for Daughters

A new national study backs the belief the relationship between a dad and his daughter is important not only now, but later in the daughter’s life.

The October study, by digital data collectors, Research Now Group Inc. finds that 75 percent of women, ages 18 to 34, said having a close relationship with dad is “very important” with 47 percent going as far as saying their father is “the most important person in their life.” A majority of women with a positive relationship with their father growing up said they were happy, far more than those who went their childhood with negative or no relationships with their fathers, according to the findings.

Having no father at home as a child had many negatively impacts, according to the study. Of those polled who grew up without dad around:

• 63 percent said they have troubling trusting men
• 61 percent said their romantic relationships were negatively affected with 40 percent without ties to their biological fathers say they have “trouble forming stable romantic relationships.”
• 50 percent said the negativity in their lives was partially caused by not having a father in their lives

The survey was released Monday by Oxygen Media to promote the cable network’s new series “Finding My Father,” which focuses on young people searching for the fathers they never knew.