There is little theory of research concerning the impact of father absence on females. The present study compared father-absent and father-present preadolescent girls on the basis of selected measures of peer relationships, dating practices, source of sex information, family and peer relationships, and sexual experience. The sample consisted of 95 eighth-grade girls attending home economics classes in a junior high school in a low socioeconomic neighborhood within a large metropolitan area. The "Father-Present" group consisted of 23 blacks and 19 Caucasians. The results suggest that in ghetto environments, father-absent girls may be exposed to and cognitively oriented towards sexually provocative and promiscuous experiences at an early age. The father, in the ghetto environment, may have an important role in the development of sex-related attitudes, values, and knowledge of young adolescent girls. (Author/JM)