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Single Parent
Adoption:
What You Need to Know
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
National Adoption Clearing House
Who Has Adopted?
All kinds of people choose to adopt—there is no one "acceptable" type. There are women and men who are highly educated with well-respected jobs, high school graduates with blue-collar jobs, people with grown children, and others who want to care for a child with special needs. They are all capable people who have a lot of love to share. Many are in the "helping" professions— psychologists, teachers, nurses—and want to improve the lives of children.
In spite of the many obstacles often put in their way, single men do adopt. In fact, 1 out of every 10 members of a national support organization, the Committee for Single Adoptive Parents, is a male. Traditionally, there has been a strong bias against male applicants by adoption agency personnel. They might think that, "a single man could not be sensitive to a child's needs;" or, "a boy needs a mother;" or, "I wonder what kind of man wants to raise a child alone."9 These beliefs are diminishing as the number of men who are successfully caring for children grows. The rising number of divorced men with joint custody, coupled with the inroads made by feminists who expect men to take a larger role in childrearing, has led to an increase in the number of men who feel comfortable and are competent in raising their children. Adoption agencies have found that single fathers can be the best placement for boys who need strong role models and guidance in an accepting, loving environment. The men who have persevered and overcome the prejudice are outspoken advocates for adoption. Taurean Blacque, an actor and single father of nine, felt that "I had to give something back . . . to share something."10 Kojo Odo and Father George Clements of Chicago are prominent examples of men who have made a major commitment to raising children.