This paper reports the results of meta-analysis of the literature addressing the effects of father-absence on both male and female sex-role development. Considering both published and unpublished papers, the analysis involved 33 studies of males and 16 studies of females which become available between 1958 and 1982 and which studied father-absence…

Differences between father-absent and father-present samples were not large. Although study quality was not the best predictor of outcome, the best-quality studies produced nonsignificant estimates of effect size. Most effect-size estimates were less than .5; many were much smaller. (RH)

Current thought about the effects of single-parenting on children's sex-role development has supported (1) the traditional view that being raised in a single-parent home is deleterious to the well-being of children; (2) the conditional view noting that differences exist between children in father-absent and father-present homes (but only in…