ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author examines the social, political, demographic, and economic forces that have shaped Americans’ opportunities to adopt domestically. Understanding the forces that motivate Americans to adopt more children internationally than people in any other country in the world will help to answer a commonly asked question about why they went to another country to adopt when there are so many children in need of families in birth country. The likelihood of a long wait for a domestic adoptee also pushes many prospective parents out of the domestic adoption market. The pull factors include the increased opportunity for international adoptions of infants from Korea, China, and Central America; the increased affluence of individuals and couples seeking to adopt new borns or infants. Collectively, the many changes have influenced dramatically the characteristics of those interested in adopting, how they might go about adopting, and the characteristics of the children available for adoption.
