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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2003
Father Knows Best
The PTC released a comprehensive
analysis of the presence of father figures in families on prime-time network
television. The study found that 83% of all TV children have a father
figure involved in their lives and an increasing number of TV kids are
depicted living with both biological parents.
The PTC's analysis shows
an increasing role for television fathers with a 6% increase in the number
of TV children who are living in a traditional family with both married
parents and a 3% decline in the number of kids who are depicted living with
no father figure at all.
"It's heartening to see
the major networks are paying closer attention to the importance of father
figures on television," said L. Brent Bozell, President of the PTC. "It
appears as if Hollywood is backing off its decades long campaign to redesign
the image of the traditional family. TV executives are seeing the value of
producing quality shows that mirror Middle America."
The PTC reviewed
every original series airing during prime time (8:00-11:00pm ET/PT) on the
broadcast networks during the 2002-2003 television season. The analysis
encompassed 108 shows depicting 123 children. The key findings about TV
children include:
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83% have a father figure
involved in their lives (unchanged)
-
53% live in a
traditional family, with their married biological parents (up 6%)
-
27 % do not live with
any kind of father figure (down 3%)
-
16 % do not have an
involved father figure (down .7%)
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8% live in a
joint-custody situation where both parents (divorced or never married)
share time with the children. Of that number, 89% of those children live
with their mother (down 3%) while 11% live with their father (up 3%).
Related Studies
06.12.02:
2002 Father's Day Study |
