Can a woman raise a boy to be a man? What is the role of a father in a young girl's life?

This is a question that comes up almost on a daily basis in this country because of the disproportionate number of single parent families in our society. I have heard so many different arguements. "I don't need a man to help raise my child," said a woman on the radio the other day. "I own my own business; I drive a mercedes...." But then we hear of cases of young boys becoming teenagers and it suddenly becomes very hard for their single mother to cope with them. Or it could be the young lady who has no self esteem and has no idea what to expect of a man because there was no example. Not to blame the mothers who sometimes did not make a choice to be a single mother or even the fathers who for one reason or another cannot be part of their child's life on a daily basis. Some people are unfortunate, some people are unwise and some people make bad choices. But the people who really suffer seem to be the children involved. And there is such a huge absence of fathers compared to absent mothers...I don't want to write too much. I'd prefer for this to be interractive. What is your take on this? Is it alright to just have kids out of wedlock and choose to be a single parent? Is it fair on a child to have one and not both parents? Can a woman raise a boy to be a man? Can a young girl have a balanced upbringing without her father?