I have a 12 year old son. I can't imagine raising a boy alone. I can definitely see that a son needs a father. Now, that might not have been my perspective if you asked me when I was 20 and knew pretty much nothing.
I raised a 12 year old son “alone” (and his younger sister). It is not easy, for sure, but it can be done, and can be extremely rewarding. Sometimes those are the circumstances within which a parent has to live. The kids turned out fine, by the way.