CANADIANS
SEE ADOPTION IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: MIALL/MARCH STUDY
What do Canadians think of adoption?
If adoption professionals better understood this, they could more
effectively recruit adoptive parents, educate the public and inform
policy makers.
Two Canadian researchers have provided
the first in-depth report on public attitudes towards adoption. In
their study "Social Support for Adoption in Canada", Charlene
Miall and Karen March found that Canadians view many aspects of adoption
very positively.
The 2002 study was the work of principal
investigator Charlene E. Miall, Ph.D., McMaster University and co-investigator
Karen March, Ph.D., Carleton University. A summary is at www.carleton.ca/socanth/Faculty/News%20Release%20Adoption%20Survey.PDF.
(U.S. public attitudes to adoption
were reported in a similar survey, the June 2002 "National Adoption
Attitudes Survey". See www.adoptioninstitute.org/survey/survey_intro.html.)
Drs. Miall and March analyzed the answers
of a sample of 706 Canadians to questions posed by telephone between
May and July 2000. (The interviewees did not include any birthparents,
adoptive parents or adoptees.) The Institute for Social Research,
York University, Toronto did the Canada-wide telephone survey. The
work was funded by a $46,000 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada.
Drs. Miall and March remarked on how
the institution of adoption is changing: increases in single parent
and gay adoption; widespread adoption of children born outside Canada;
more open adoption and, increasingly, the unsealing of confidential
adoption records. Policies are changing and yet little is known about
how Canadians in general view these issues. Research on community
attitudes toward adoption could guide social policy and social work
practice.
"Adoption as an institution is
in the process of change and this survey provides a unique snapshot
of what Canadians think about these changes," said Dr. Miall,
an associate professor of sociology. "Canadians are very supportive
of adoption as a family form while recognizing that confidentiality
requirements may place a unique burden on adults seeking to learn
about their genetic and medical histories."
The general feeling
So how does the general public feel
about adoption?
- Over three-quarters of Canadians
surveyed strongly approve of adoption as a family form.
- A majority support some form of
open adoption allowing contact between birth parents and adoptive
parents after the adoption happens.
- Canadians also think that confidential
adoption (no contact between birth parents and adoptive parents)
should continue to be available to those who want it.
- Canadians overwhelmingly approve
international adoption.
- Canadians are nearly evenly split
on the question of adoption by gay or lesbian couples.
- Most approved the notion of reunions
between adults placed for adoption and their birth parents.
- Canadians are strongly in favour
of adult adoptees getting confidential identifying information about
their birth parents.
- Three-quarters of Canadians surveyed
felt that birth parents and adoptive parents should not be able
to prevent adult adoptees learning their original identities. (Most
adoption reunion registries currently allow birth parents to veto
requests for information by adult adoptees.) However, only 45 per
cent of Canadians approved of birth parents learning the identities
of their adopted adult children without their permission.
Detailed findings
of the Miall/March study
Here is a summary of the findings of
Drs. Miall and March on how the general public feels about adoption
issues, as represented by the 706 Canadians surveyed.
- Adoption in general.
Over three-quarters of Canadians surveyed strongly approve of adoption
as a family form.
- Biological vs. adoptive parenthood.
Over three-quarters think that mothers basically feel the same way
about their children, whether adopted or not. About 70% think that
fathers also basically feel the same way about their children, whether
adopted or not.
- Who should be allowed to adopt.
Over 90% considered married couples very acceptable. About two-thirds
also considered mixed-race couples and couples where one partner
had a physical disability as very acceptable to adopt. Common law
couples were considered very acceptable to adopt by only 40% of
respondents. 25% considered single women very acceptable to adopt
and another 40% considered them somewhat acceptable. About one-third
did not consider them very acceptable to adopt. Less than 20% considered
single men living on their own as very acceptable to adopt although
one-third of respondents found them somewhat acceptable. 45% did
not consider them very acceptable to adopt.
- Gay adoption.
Although the majority of Canadians surveyed did not consider lesbian
couples very acceptable to adopt, nearly half (48%) considered them
very acceptable or somewhat acceptable. Canadians were nearly evenly
divided on this question. The majority did not consider gay male
couples very acceptable to adopt either although Canadians were
also nearly evenly divided on this question. 54% considered gay
male couples not very or not at all acceptable. 46% considered them
very acceptable or somewhat acceptable.
- International adoption.
Canadians surveyed expressed overwhelming support for international
adoption (94%).
- Birth parents who make an adoption
plan.
One-third strongly approved of birth mothers making an adoption
plan and another third somewhat approved. Females were more likely
to strongly support the birth mother's decision than males (38%
versus 22%). The majority (over two-thirds or more in all cases)
considered birth mothers and birth fathers responsible, caring and
unselfish when they made an adoption plan for their children. Birth
mothers were consistently rated higher on these qualities than birth
fathers.
- Revelation of adoption to children.
Nearly 80% of respondents felt that adopted children should always
be told of their adoptive status and another 20% said sometimes.
Only 2% felt that adopted children should never be told.
- Whether adopted children are
more likely to be a problem.
Over two-thirds felt that adopted children were no more likely to
be a problem than non-adopted children and nearly 20% felt they
were likely to be less of a problem.
- Open vs. confidential (closed)
adoption.
Until recently, most adoptions in Canada have been confidential,
so that adoptive parents and biological parents could not identify
each other. Now it is possible for adoptive and biological parents
to maintain some sort of contact throughout the adopted child's
life. Canadians were asked to assess three levels of openness in
adoption.
- About one-third strongly approved
of the exchange of cards and letters through a mediator between
adoptive parents and biological or birth parents after adoption
had taken place. The majority of respondents, 43%, somewhat
approved of this level of open adoption. Nearly one quarter
of respondents somewhat or strongly disapproved of this level
of openness.
- About one-third strongly approved
of adoptive parents and biological parents meeting before the
adoption and exchanging cards and letters through a mediator
after adoption had taken place. The majority of respondents,
44%, somewhat approved of this level of open adoption.
- Only 21% strongly approved
of ongoing face-to-face contact between adoptive parents and
biological parents. There was a drop in strong support for this
level of openness. While 41% somewhat approved of it, there
was an increase in those somewhat or strongly disapproving to
nearly 40%.
- Despite conditional support
for some level of openness in adoption, 85% indicated that confidential
adoption, where adoptive parents and birth parents have no contact
with one another, should continue to be available to those who
wanted it.
- Birth reunions.
46% strongly approved of birth reunions taking place between adults
who had been placed for adoption and their biological or birth parents.
45% somewhat approved. Less than 10% somewhat or strongly disapproved.
- Rights of birth parents, adoptive
parents and adoptees to confidential information about one another
with or without permission of each other.
Canadian legislators are considering
releasing confidential identifying information about biological and
adoptive parents when adopted children become adults. Some people
think this information should remain confidential unless all parties
to the adoption (adoptive parents, adult adoptees, and birth parents)
agree to its release. Canadians were asked to assess when and under
what circumstances this identifying information should be released
to adult adoptees and/or birth parents.
- The majority (84%) expressed support
for the release of confidential identifying information to adult
adoptees without the permission of their adoptive parents.
- The majority (77%) expressed support
for the release of confidential identifying information to adult
adoptees without the permission of their birth parents.
- About half (55%) expressed support
for the release of confidential identifying information to birth
parents without the permission of the adoptive parents. Nearly 45%
did not support this option.
- About half (55%) did not support
the release of confidential identifying information to birth parents
without the permission of the adult adopted child. Nearly 45% did
support this option.
The researchers
Charlene E. Miall, Ph.D., is an Associate
Professor of Sociology at McMaster University, Hamilton. She has published
in the areas of involuntary childlessness, adoptive parents and community
attitudes toward adoption issues. Reach Dr. Miall at 905-525-9140
ext. 23601, miallce@mcmaster.ca,
socserv.mcmaster.ca/sociology/miall.htm.
Karen March, Ph.D., is an Associate
Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton
University, Ottawa. She teaches in the area of kinship, marriage and
family, aging and research methodology, and wrote The Stranger Who
Bore Me, about adoptee search. Reach Dr. March at 613-520-2600 ext.
2618, kmarch@ccs.carleton.ca,
www.carleton.ca/socanth/Faculty/KarenMarch.htm.
Their latest published work appeared
in the academic journal Adoption Quarterly (Vol. 6(4) 2003), published
by The Haworth Press, www.haworthpress.com.
Their article is titled, "A Comparison of Biological and Adoptive
Mothers and Fathers: The Relevance of Biological Kinship and Gendered
Constructs of Parenthood". It draws on the results of the Canada-wide
telephone survey of 2000 plus 82 in-depth interviews conducted in
two eastern Canadian cities.
Source: Adoption Council of Canada,
www.adoption.ca
Copyright 2003 Adoption Council of
Canada. Reproduction permitted, if credited "Source: Adoption
Council of Canada, www.adoption.ca".
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