Dude does a great job of breaking down what’s wrong with the way this statistic is presented
He criticizes male influencers and podcasters who perpetuate this myth, stating that it is based on made-up information.
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According to the
Department of Justice, as of 2021, there were approximately 1.2 million people incarcerated in the United States, as Brent mentions in his video. The
Annie E. Casey Foundationestimates that there are currently 24 million children living in single-parent households. Brent uses the rough midpoint of this range in his video to demonstrate how the 70-80% claim makes no sense. Brent emphasizes that the specifics of these claims, made mostly by men vary to a large degree.
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TikTok
"Seventy percent of the estimated 19 million children raised in single-mother homes would be about 13 million." Given that there are only 1.2 million people in prison, 70-80% is "an absurdly wrong number." He added, "We're not sure if it's 70% or if it's 80% if it represents all prisoners, just young men, or only Black men. However, what we do know [according to these inaccurate claims] is that prisons are full of young men from single-mother homes, and the womenfolk are to blame for it."
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TikTok
According to the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 70% of juvenile delinquents come from single-parent homes, including children raised by their fathers, as well as children raised by other relatives or in foster care. Single-parent households accounted for only 54% of juvenile delinquents overall, including single fathers. But, as Brent points out, the figure has been misrepresented in addition to being 35 years out of date.
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TikTok
"Since your lifetime incarceration risk is about 5%, what that means is instead of 70% of children raised by single mothers going to jail, actually, well over 80% will avoid ever seeing a jail," he said. Children raised by single fathers have the highest rates of incarceration, especially once their father finds a new girlfriend or remarries. According to a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln study cited in Brent's TikTok, 40% of single fathers abandon their children within eight years — a rate that skyrockets when the single father finds a new partner.
Image Source:
TikTok
Brent concludes it well, "If we really care about improving childhood outcomes, then we need to stop talking about single mothers and instead talk about... fathers that treat their children as disposable." As many misogynist podcasters today like to say, "Facts don't care about your feelings." Also, don't forget to apply cold water to that burnt area. Never mind, that might not help either.