> That said, the question is, it's preferable to what?
High investment dual parenting. Father and mother (and usually contributions from extended family on both sides). Even if we pretend both parents provide the exact same types of resources (which they don't: both are important for different reasons), then mathematically you're getting half the resources to raise a better kid.
> Considering the messed-up relationship the two parents obviously have in those cases, would it really?
Nobody's arguing that two parents in a failing and abusive relationship would be preferable to a single parent with adequate resources to raise the child.
What I'm suggesting is that promoting a system of parenthood that is almost completely associated with being worse for the children is not a responsible thing to do. And that's what articles like this are doing, without weighing what we know to be massive negative associations.
The objection wasn't to the site layout. It was "this site is clearly pushing an agenda, and I don't trust them to fairly represent their sources". Which I think is fair: someone who writes that "fatherless children" list is not arguing coherently and in good faith.
I chose the site because it had a great summary of the important studies - which are perfectly valid science and statistics.
Here is an alternative list of sources (not hosted on a site with a fallacious list, just my HN comment) that speaks to the same manner of strong negative correlations associated with single motherhood:
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Source: Robert E. Rector, “Increasing Marriage Will Dramatically Reduce Child Poverty,” The Heritage Foundation, Center for Data Analysis Report, No. 03-06 (May 20, 2003).
Source: Daniel T. Lichter, Deborah Roempke, and Brian J. Brown, “Is Marriage a Panacea? Union Formation Among Economically Disadvantaged Unwed Mothers,” Social Problems 50 (2003): 60-86.
Source: Tillman, K. H. (2007). Family structure pathways and academic disadvantage among adolescents in stepfamilies. Journal of Marriage and Family.
Source: Edward Kruk, Ph.D., “The Vital Importance of Paternal Presence in Children’s Lives.” May 23, 2012.
Source: Hofferth, S. L. (2006). Residential father family type and child well-being: investment versus selection. Demography, 43, 53-78.
Source: Osborne, C., and McLanahan, S. (2007). Partnership instability and child well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 1065-1083.
Source: Hoffmann, John P. “The Community Context of Family Structure and Adolescent Drug Use.” Journal of Marriage and Family 64 (May 2002): 314-330.
Source: Stephen Demuth and Susan L. Brown, “Family Structure, Family Processes, and Adolescent Delinquency: The Significance of Parental Absence Versus Parental Gender,” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 41, No. 1 (February 2004): 58-81.
Source: Teachman, Jay D. “The Childhood Living Arrangements of Children and the Characteristics of Their Marriages.” Journal of Family Issues 25 (January 2004): 86-111.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, “Living Arrangements of Children under 18 Years/1 and Marital Status of Parents by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin/2 and Selected Characteristics of the Child for all Children 2010.” Table C3. Internet Release Date November, 2010.
Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’ and Mothers’ Involvement in their Children’s Schools by Family Type and Resident Status. Table 1. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, DC: U.S. Dept of Education, National Center of Education Statistics, 2001.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey; and America’s Children: Key Indicators of National Wellbeing, 2011.
Source: Census Bureau. “Living Arrangements of Children Under 18 Years Old: 1960 to Present.” U.S. Census Bureau, July 1, 2012.
As for this article being a "promotion" for single-parent households is, in my opinion, an overstatement. It's not even specifically about mothers, it just mentions them in passing.
Anecdotally, I have the exact opposite experience.
That said, the question is, it's preferable to what?
I think there's some cognitive dissonance in listing all the ways mothers mess with the relationships between children and fathers (false abuse reports, preventing visitation, etc) and then suggesting that a two parent household would be preferable. Considering the messed-up relationship the two parents obviously have in those cases, would it really?