Research at Montreal’s Concordia University has shown that fathers who actively engage in raising their children make important contributions to their children’s cognitive abilities and behavioral functioning.
... According to recent Statistics Canada figures, 22 per cent of Quebec families are comprised of households where biological fathers are absent, compared to a national average of 13 per cent.
... The study found that, “Compared with other children with absentee dads, kids whose fathers were active parents in early and middle childhood had fewer behaviour problems and higher intellectual abilities as they grew older — even among socio-economically at-risk families.”
Here is where the research can be found:
Pougnet, Erin; Serbin, Lisa A.; Stack, Dale M.; Schwartzman, Alex E. "Fathers' influence on children's cognitive and behavioural functioning: A longitudinal study of Canadian families." Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 43(3), Jul 2011, 173-182 [online]
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