Subsequent to a related hearing surveying the economics of family life, the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families of the House of Representatives met to hear statements addressing the topics of paternal absence and the role of fathers in society. The first panel presented an overview of paternal absence and father involvement. Testimony disputes the view that emphasizes father absence and lack of interest in child care. New levels of father interaction and skill in dealing with infants are described. The second panel concentrated on military families and paternal absence, the Army's efforts to deal with both the changing nature and circumstances of the military family, and stresses on and needs of military families. The third panel described effects of paternal absence and involvement on children. The importance of economic security for families is substantiated by findings of studies on black fathers and fathering. The final panel listed private-sector initiatives that address paternal absence and father involvement. Discussion focuses on what voluntary organizations are doing to serve youth, new institutional developments enhancing the roles of fathers in their families, and the impact of father absence on families of incarcerated men. Included in the document are the United States Army Chief of Staff's 1983 White Paper on the Army Family and Margaret Slack's collection of information about the single-parent family. (RH)