Single Fathers Are a Growing, But Often Invisible, Demographic

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When we talk about households led by single parents, we often think about mothers. But a rising number of families are led by single fathers: men who are parenting alone by choice – whether through adoption or surrogacy – or because of divorce, separation or widowhood. Single dads often have the same challenges as single mothers because the economics and emotional work of parenting solo are not always easy. Yet, single fathers also report being lonelier and less sure of how to access support than mothers. We’ll look at the experience of single fatherhood and hear from you: are you a single dad or were you raised by one? What’s your story? Guests: Faith Hill, staff writer, The Atlantic - Hill's most recent article is titled "The Growing Cohort of Single Dads by Choice" Ignacio Ferrey, director, Fatherhood and Adolescent Services, Alameda County Public Health Department Ron Poole-Dayan, executive director and founder, Men Having Babies - a nonprofit organization that offers guidance and financial assistance for gay men who want to become fathers through surrogacy Darby Saxbe, associate professor of psychology, USC - director, USC Center for the Changing Family Dr. Ken Epstein, therapist and social worker; from 2012-2018, Epstein was the director of the Children Youth and Family System of Care for San Francisco's Behavioral Health Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	These days, there's so much news. It can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community.
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0:38.5	subject to change. From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:57.6	When we talk about households led by single parents, we often think about mothers.
1:03.2	And there are many more single moms than single dads out there.
1:06.9	But something like two million households are led by fathers,
1:11.7	men who are parenting alone by choice, whether through adoption or surrogacy,
1:16.0	or because of divorce, separation, or widowhood.
1:19.2	We'll talk about what single dad share with other solo parents
1:23.3	and where their challenges may be unique.
1:26.2	That's all coming up next, right after this news.
1:50.5	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. You know, when we started to talk about this show on the different angles of single fatherhood, I think our whole team went back and forth on the subject.
1:55.0	Should we do a show on all single parenthood, including all genders, should we focus on one aspect
2:00.7	or another of single fatherhood? But in genders, should we focus on one aspect or another of single fatherhood.
2:03.5	But in the end, we were all shocked at how little has been written in general about single fathers
2:09.2	relative to the voluminous literature of single motherhood.
2:13.0	And we decided this show should cover the breadth of the experience.
	...

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