Synopsis
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Chapter 13. Parenthood

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Welcome

Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

Featuring interactive graphs, this activity shows how U.S. birth rates have risen or fallen over the years depending on the mother’s age. It also examines the different types of families and individuals who choose to adopt.

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A woman cutting vegetables with a young girl
A man and woman interacting happily with a baby, who is being carried by the man
Family sitting on couch together.
(Clockwise):Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock, Lana K/Shutterstock, Wong Sze Yuen/Shutterstock

Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

This graph shows the number of babies born per 1,000 women in the United States, by decade, starting in 1960. Dramatic shifts in biological parenthood are evident, with teenage births continuing to fall and births to women older than age 30 rising again.

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Data from Martin, et al, 2015.




Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

Color images of a family sitting on couch together.
Wong Sze Yuen / Shutterstock

1. Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

Did you notice a rather dramatic reduction in the number of babies born to 15- to 44-year-old women between 1960 and 1970? What might account for this change? (Click the back button to review the graphs.)
Your answer should reference the increasing availability and/or acceptance of contraception and family planning options.

Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

As your text explains, a sizable number of women and men are nonbiological parents, and many of them are adoptive parents. Because adoptive children are chosen and wanted, the adoptive parent–child bond is often as strong and secure as that of the biological parent–child bond. These two graphs show the relationship of adoptive parents to their adoptive children and the various adoptive family structures.

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Data from Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), various years




Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

Color image of a man and woman interacting happily with a baby, who is being carried by the man.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

2. Biological and Adoptive Parenthood in the United States

While many of the percentages in the two adoption graphs have declined or remained largely unchanged, the percentage of children adopted by three different types of families and individuals increased between 1998 and 2014. What are they, and why do you think these shifts have occurred? (Click the back button to review the graphs.)
Your answer should include (1) other relatives, (2) unmarried couples, and (3) single males. There are many possible explanations for why these shifts have occurred. For example, increasing societal acceptance of single parenthood, homosexuality, and same-sex relationships could explain the rise in adoptions by single males and unmarried couples. The stresses of the recent economic recession could have led to drug use, incarceration, and/or abuse among parents, resulting in a need for relatives to step in and care for the affected children.

Congratulations! You have completed this activity.

REFERENCES

Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J. K.; Curtin, Sally C. & Mathews, T. J. (2015). Births: Final data 2013. National Vital Statistics Reports 64(1). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). The AFCARS Report: Final estimates for FY 1998 through FY 2002 (12). Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2008, January). The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2006 estimates as of January 2008 (14). Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau.