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The Debate: What Are Father's For?

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Debate: What are Father’s For?

The Issue:

The issue in The New York Times article “What are Father’s For?” defines the gender argument that father’s may or may not necessary members of the family unit. The issue of single parenting or two-parent parenting is brought forth as a way to show how different children are raised with and without a father. The major issue put forth in this debate is directly related to the premise that a father may or may not fulfill a unique gender role in the family that the mother may not possess. These are the important aspects of “What are Father’s For?” which examine the necessity of the father as child-bearers in the modern-day family unit.

Summary of the Debate:

The first side of the debate on the necessity of father’s is based on the gender essentialist view that the father and mother have unique roles in the family when raising their children. For …show more content…
The gender-essentialist view seems subjective in the way that the father figure is the only parent capable of providing a stable and disciplined environment for the child. For instance, a single mother may be better educated and more capable of providing discipline and stability for the child than the father. Also, same-sex gay parents may also possesses the discipline and nurturing abilities that a father may possess, which clearly devolves the gender stereotype that only heterosexual male fathers can raise their children well. I cannot take the side of gender essentialists because it is obvious that gender roles are interchangeable between men, women, and same-sex couples. Therefore, the non-essentialist view of parenting is the most valid argument for determining the superfluous role of the father in the modern day family

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