November is National Adoption Month. This month is designed to raise awareness about the need for many children to have permanent homes. Although celebrities such as Viola Davis and Sandra Bullock have increased the visibility of adoption in the U.S., there are still many children in need of permanent homes.

According to recent statistics, there are over 107,000 foster children waiting to be adopted in the U.S. It is for this reason that this month attempts to educate the public on the necessity of adoption and how it can benefit not only the children who are adopted but also the families.

The History of National Adoption Month

This observance started originally as Adoption Week in 1976 and was proposed by then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Eight years later, it was proclaimed on a national level by then-President Ronald Reagan, although at that time it remained simply a week-long observance. In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton decided to expand it from a week-long observation to last the entire month of November. It has been observed that way ever since.

Facts About Adoption in the U.S.

We’ve compiled a list of statistics about adoption that we think everyone can benefit from learning. We uncovered the following facts while researching National Adoption Month, and we hope they are invaluable to everyone reading this article.

• It’s been estimated that 81.5 million Americans have considered adoption.
• If just 1 in 500 of the people who considered adoption would actually adopt, then every foster child would have a permanent home.
• The United States adopts more children than the rest of the world combined.
• More than half of adoptive mothers are between the ages of 40 and 44.
• Only 3% of adoptive mothers are between the ages of 18 to 29.
• The average age of a child waiting to be adopted is 7 years old.
• Approximately 41% of adopted children are adopted by relatives.
• Women who can’t have children naturally are 10 times more likely to consider adoption than women who can bear their own children.
• Approximately 60% of all adoptions are from inter-family adoptions, private agencies, and adoptions within tribal native communities.

Observing National Adoption Month

People can take the opportunity this month affords to learn more about adoption. They can visit special adoption events or local adoption agencies. They can look up statistics about adoption to educate themselves on the subject. They can also take the time to spread the word about this month using the hashtag #NationalAdoptionMonth on social media.