Auditor Shad White talks about fatherlessness with Jack Brewer and Lynn Hosemann.
Children, families and taxpayers pay a high cost for fatherlessness.
On Wednesday, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White hosted a panel discussion on the positive impact present fathers have on their children. The gathering was held at Germantown High School.
Auditor White was joined by Jack Brewer, a former NFL player now with the America First Policy Institute, and Lynn Hosemann, wife of Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, who has long been an advocate for children and families.
The panel discussed data which demonstrates the importance of a father or father figure in a child’s life. Some of those points include:
- Fatherless children are less likely to obtain a high school degree. Taxpayers will likely lose $560 million due to the fatherless children who dropped out of school during the 2021-2022 school year alone.
- Fatherless boys are more likely to go to prison than boys who have present fathers. Taxpayers in Mississippi likely pay $180 million each year to imprison fatherless male prisoners.
- Fatherless girls are more likely to be teen mothers than girls with involved fathers. Taxpayers likely spent over $50 million on costs like increased foster care as a result of fatherless teen mothers in 2019 alone.
This week’s panel discussion comes five months after the State Auditor’s office released a report showing Mississippi taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year as a result of fatherlessness.
In that report, titled “Dads Matter: The Taxpayer Cost of Fatherlessness,” the Auditor presented research which stated that engaged fathers are critical for a healthy society.
“Mississippians know that engaged fathers are critical for the well-being of children,” said Auditor White. “The added discipline and income that comes from two committed parents is important for everyone to understand. But it’s particularly important for taxpayers to understand, because they often bear the cost of broken homes.”
White said he has single mothers in his own family and noted that they work tirelessly to raise their children.
“This report doesn’t take away from their herculean efforts,” White continued. “But men—and taxpayers—in Mississippi need to see the sad results when dads do not show up for their kids.”
Auditor White accompanied Brewer to the Mississippi Capitol following the panel discussion where the two met with lawmakers on the topic. House Speaker Pro Tem Jason White was one of the legislators they visited. White expressed his appreciation for their raising awareness of the issue.
“Really appreciate Shad White bringing Jack Brewer to Mississippi this week for real talk on fatherlessness in our state and to discuss ways we can tackle this problem and make a difference,” the Speaker Pro Tem White tweeted.
