The Majority of People State That Gender Does Not Matter When Adopting a Child

Child adoption is a process where children who are not raised by their parents become full and permanent legal members of another family. It is a way of providing love, basic needs, and security to a child who could not be raised by his or her family. Therefore, Real Research conducted a survey to know the public thoughts regarding child adoption.

To take note, nearly half of the respondents have adopted a child. Thus, children do best when they remain in a stable household. This is unlike when they are being bounced from one foster family to another or placed in a group home. This insight is a presentation of the survey results.

Highlights

• 49.42% have adopted a child locally or from another country
• Open adoption is the most preferred method when adopting a child
• The majority (47.41%) say gender does not matter when adopting a child
• Spouses are the main hindrance to child adoption

There Is a Clear Increase in Child Adoption

The concept of child adoption is becoming more familiar to a majority of people. With that said, not only are they adopting from their local country but some are even adopting from other nations. Thus, the Real Research survey began by asking if respondents have adopted children either locally or internationally. 49.42% say ‘Yes’ while 50.58% say ‘No’.

Moving on, what does the public think about adopting a child in general. Firstly, 26.69% say ‘It requires a strong commitment as the process is long and emotionally challenging’. Additionally, 14.30% say ‘It’s a wonderful opportunity for those who cannot have their own child’. More so, ‘It provides a stable home environment for a child in need of a family’ says 6.65%.

Aside from the thoughts, how does the public feel about adopting a child from another country? Notably, 45.16% say ‘Positive’. On the other hand, only 11.07% say ‘Negative’. Meanwhile, the remaining percentage 43.77% say ‘Not sure’.

Read Also: Single Parents Should Have Access to Childcare Facilities

Most People Prefer Open Adoption

There are two different types of adoption which include private and anonymous. Therefore, adoptive parents have the legal right to an adoption type preference. Results from the Real Research survey show that 47.02% prefer ‘Open adoption’. Meanwhile, (13.11%) are for anonymous adoption. Lastly, 39.88% say they do not have a specific adoption type preference.

Aside from the adoption type, is gender preference in child adoption also a factor to consider? From the Real Research survey results, 32.45% say they prefer adopting a girl child. Following then, 20.14% say they would rather adopt a boy child. However, the majority (47.41%) say they have no gender preference in child adoption. This means they are open to either adopting a girl or a boy.

Real Research asked the respondents what age group they prefer when adopting a child. To begin with, less than 6 months (31.55%), 6 months to 1-year-old (13.42%), and 2-5 years old (9.54%). Then, 3.62% for 6-8 years old (preschool children), 9-10 years old (3.34%), 11-13 years old (2.93%), and 1.92% for 14 years old and above. Meanwhile, (33.68%) say age doesn’t matter.

Spouses Are the Main Hindrance to Child Adoption

The Real Research survey sought to know the key factor that hinders adoption. 23.32% say ‘Opposition to the idea of becoming an extended family, or from a spouse’. 10.61% say ‘Legal qualifications of adoptive parents’. Lastly, 6.89% say ‘Financial requirements of adoptive parents’.

To add on, the most important factors for child adoption are commitment as an adoptive parent(s) 27.21%. family support (7.96%), consent of a spouse (5.32%), religious beliefs (5.03%), and parenting skills (3.66%).

In conclusion, each year many children join new families through adoption. It is meant to give the child a secure and permanent family to stay with. The process can be done through agents or adoption centers, whatever the case, the children have to be adopted legally. This is done following the adoption process required in the specific country.