Increased father separation. From 1960 to 2010, the number of children in the United States living apart from their fathers more than doubled (Livingston & Parker, 2011).

Active dads are caregiving more. Today’s co-parenting fathers are more engaged, with a doubling in the weekly hours spent with their children, compared with fathers in 1965 (Livingston & Parker, 2011).

Increased father absence. Only one in five absent fathers say they visit their children more than once a week, and 27 percent say they have not seen their children in the last year (Livingston & Parker, 2011).

Couples that share housework and child care are happier in their relationships and less divorce prone (Wilcox & Marquardt, 2011).

Nonmarital births predict father separation. Increased father absence accompanies increased nonmarital births. Even among couples cohabiting when a first child is born, the 39 percent odds of their relationship ending during the child’s first years are triple the 13 percent odds of parental breakup among those who are married when their first baby is born (Hymowitz et al., 2013).

Dual parenting supports children, regardless of parent gender. After controlling for other factors, children average better life outcomes “if raised by both parents” (Taylor, 2014). The American Academy of Pediatrics (2013) reports that what matters is competent, secure, nurturing parents, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation. The American Sociological Association (2013) concurs: Decades of research confirm that parental stability and resources matter. “Whether a child is raised by same-sex or opposite-sex parents has no bearing on a child’s well-being.”