It’s not uncommon for adoption newcomers to have preconceived notions about who a birth mom is, what her life is like and why she might be choosing adoptions.
But the truth is the brave and selfless women who choose to place their children for adoption come from a variety of ages, backgrounds and family types and also choose adoption for a variety of reasons.
Check out the infographic below for myths and realities about birth mothers. And then keep reading below to learn more about the sort of birth mothers who place their children with our agency.
The following statistics and information were collected from the women American Adoptions helped complete adoptions from October 2012 to October 2014. As you can see, only about one in five women could be categorized as “teen moms.” About four of five women have completed their high school education and/or pursued further education; four out of five women have other children before they choose adoption. Additionally, almost 10 percent of women who choose adoption are married.
Age
- 21% were under 20
- 57% were between 20 and 30 years old
- 15% were between 30 and 40 years old
Education
Of the women who answered…
- 22% have not graduated high school
- 38% graduated high school and have no other secondary education
- 69% graduated high school and have some college credit
- 44% graduated high school and have completed college
Other Children
- 40% did not have any other children
- 21% had one other child
- 20% had two other children
- 11 % had three other children
- 8% had four or more children
Marriage
- 7% were married
- 93% were not married
…
To learn more about choosing adoption with American Adoptions, visit our website or call 1-800-ADOPTION. Follow the links to view other adoption infographics and national adoption month information.
