Single-Parent Adoption

“Single parents by choice” (SPC) refers to individuals who do not become single parents as a result of divorce, death, or separation; rather, they make the choice to parent without a partner. While single parenthood by choice is a relatively new phenomenon, it has become an increasingly common family formation over the past five decades. The scholarly literature on SPC tends to focus on single women; however, single men are choosing parenthood at increasing rates. Furthermore, most research on SPC does not address individuals’ [Page 1085]sexual orientation; therefore less is known about the unique experiences of sexual-minority SPC, despite the increasing numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ)-identified individuals who choose to parent without a partner. The little research that does exist suggests that ...