Are you a single man or woman and contemplating adoption?
You may even be asking the question; “Can I adopt if I’m single?” Yes!
Single women and men may adopt through Adoption Choices of Arizona! We provide adoption services to single men and women who are US citizens living in the US. We are proud of the many single applicants who received our services through various parts of their adoption process, whether home study, pre-adoption education, placement services or post adoption services.
It is important to note that our ability to assist any single applicant is determined in part by the laws governing adoption in Texas.
Did you know that one-third of all US adoptions happen in single family homes?
According to the most recent National Survey of Adoptive Parents, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27 percent of adoptive parents are single men and women! Approximately 22.7 percent are female, 5.5 percent male. Since the 1970’s, across the country the number of single parent placements slowly and steadily continues to increase, both in domestic and inter country adoption.
- Most single adoptive parents are female, are most likely to adopt older children than infants, and are less likely to have been a foster parent to the adopted child.
- Single parent applicants are self-selective. Most applicants have high levels of emotional maturity and high capacity for frustration, and are independent but linked to a supportive network of relatives.
- As a group, the single parent adopters of U.S. children tended to adopt “special needs” children who were older, minority, and/or handicapped children.
More positive news for single prospective adoptive parents:
1. Research has shown that the adjustment rates of children adopted into single parent homes equates to the adjustment rates of children adopted into more traditional households.
2. Single parent households that complete an adoption are more likely to feel like the outcome of their efforts was positive.
3. Children with special needs who were adopted into single parent homes were shown to have fewer overall problems than similar children adopted by two parent homes.
4. The number of single parents interested in adopting a child has slowly continued to increase.
5. 89% of parents agree that even with behavioral episodes, they are not unhappy about their decision to adopt a child.
What does this mean for you, the single male or female seeking to create or expand your family through adoption?
As a single adoptive parent you may face a little more of a challenge than a married couple but there are many ways to be successful in your goal of adoption.
The Single Parent Profile
1. Women are more likely to adopt children as single parents than men are and are the most likely group to adopt an older child in need.
2. Most single parent applicants have emotional stability and a support network of family and friends that will help them raise an adopted child.
3. Single parent adoptions are also one of the groups that adopts the most special needs children who need families.
4. Unmarried women are more likely to pursue international adoption over domestic adoption.
5. Single women often pursue motherhood for the same reasons married women do.
In fact, as we already know, thousands of singles adopt children from the US each year. Few would argue that it might be more difficult for a single parent to take care of the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of a child than it is for two parents. This is based on the very real limits of one person verses two in time, energy, and financial resources.
These barriers add fuel to the view of many adoption professionals and social welfare experts who believe that the best placement for a child is with a family that has a mother and a father. While the “traditional” family structure has certainly changed in the U.S., there is still hesitation on the part of some professionals to accept single parent adoption. This hesitation is reflected in the varying policies of adoption agencies. Adoption Choices of Arizona is different: we do not discriminate based on marital status!
Prospective Adoptive Parent Call or Text 1-480-999-4788
