I largely agree with you, the father is a driving unit in the family, and a lot of "dads" do walk out or just never show up. But thanks to feminism, a ****ty family court system, and the way benefit programs are structured, we have an entire generation of women who believe that strong, steadfast men are a problem or barrier, not a solution. As OC said, a lot of men who would be glad to be fathers in the real sense are used for sperm and cash by women who have no interest in doing hard work or raising a good family and partnering with a good man to that end. A lot of these men are lucky if they end up getting a couple of weekends a month with their kids, no matter how good of a father they might be.