How many singles seek to adopt?

A single parent adopts 33 percent of children adopted from foster care.

In the 1970s, an estimated 0.5 percent to 4 percent of people completing adoptions were single. In the 1980s, that figure more than doubled, when 8 to 34 percent of adopters were single.

Across the U.S., the number of single-parent placements slowly and steadily continues to increase, both in domestic and international adoptions.

Who are the single adopters?

Most single adoptive parents are female. They are most likely to adopt older children rather than infants and less likely to have been a foster parent to the adopted child.

Most single parent applicants demonstrate high levels of emotional maturity and capacity for frustration. They also tend to be independent but linked to a supportive network of relatives.

As a group, the single-parent adopters of American children tend to adopt special-needs children who are older, from minority racial groups, or physically or mentally challenged children.

What research has been conducted on single-parent adoptions?