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

The desire to nurture and to share life as a family is a strong universal need that is felt by a large number of people and one that is not exclusive to married people or couples Often a single person finds life incomplete Some men and women feel that they can provide a better life for the children living in institutions or foster care or in countries that cannot provide them with the basic necessities Loneliness may be another factor in deciding to become a single adoptive parent

Research in the 1970s found that an estimated .5% to 4% of persons completing adoptions were single. Studies in the 1980s found from 8% to 34% of adopters were single Across the country the number of single parent placements slowly and steadily continues to increase, both in domestic and intercountry adoption

In a study undertaken by the Los Angeles Department of Adoptions, researchers found that single parents tended to have more difficulties in completing their adoptions Thirty-nine percent had made three or more previous attempts to adopt, compared to only 18% among the couples In 1983, Feigelman and Silverman recontacted 60% of the single-parent respondents from their earlier study in 1977

Six years after the initial study, the adjustment of children raised by single parents remained similar to that of children raised by adoptive couples Groze and Rosenthal conducted a study that reports on the responses from parents in three Midwestern states who had finalized their adoption of a special-needs child before 1988 The sample included 122 single-parents and 651 two-parents families Researchers found that comparisons of single-parent homes to two-parent homes showed that children in single-parent families experienced fewer problem

Your family and friends may be your first hurdle They may not understand why anyone would assume the responsibility for raising a child alone Agencies have varying policies in dealing with single applicants Some don't accept them at all Others may put your application and request for a home study (a family assessment) on the back burner while waiting to find a couple who wants to adopt

Single men face even tougher scrutiny as they are asked intimate questions about their sexuality, motives, friends, and living arrangements They may be qualified to parent and still be turned down

Fees at adoption agencies vary. Some agencies charge no fees-these are usually public agencies where the children often have special needs and subsidies can be offered to help defray the costs of raising the child and taking care of medical expenses Private agencies operate differently from public agencies and are usually set up as nonprofit organizations with a governing board of directors, rather than as a department run by a city or State

Stanley B. Michelman and Meg Schneider, authors of The Private Adoption Handbook, explain that the costs of independent adoptions can vary dramatically They offer a breakdown of fees, estimating the range to be from $3,000 to $20,000 They advise that fees over $10,000 do not necessarily mean that the adoption is "black market" or illegal