Masculinidades y Paternidades en la Adopción. Un lugar por Construir

Abstract

In the field of adoption, international and Latin American scientific production has largely addressed the experiences of adoptive mothers, the adoptive family understood as a unit that includes either both members of the couple, or considering more marginally, to mothers of origin and finally, lesbian mothers, appreciating a strong "feminization" of the study of this topic. Research has not paid more attention to parents of origin and the various configurations in adoptive fatherhood. As a result, it has invisibilized the singularity, specificity and heterogeneity of meanings, practices and experiences about birth fathers and adoptive fathers and are still a number of stereotypes and prejudices that limit a more active inclusion of them in the care tasks. Faced with the lack of knowledge and under the premise that studying men and parents in adoption represents a contribution to advance policies and practices of greater responsibility and gender equality, this paper identifies, classifies and analyzes of the findings of studies on masculinity, paternity and adoption, making special emphasis on some results and topics on this phenomenon, in order to visualize some current challenges and prospects for research and psychosocial intervention.

“I Assumed He Didn’t Exist”: The Birth Father as the Invisible Member of the Adoption Kinship Network

“…Although there is now greater consensus about the right of adopted persons to know their biogenetic origins and the benefits this affords, the relationship between motherhood and care predominates. Chile, in particular, still has a closed system, largely preventing direct access to birth fathers' experience and perspective (Salvo Agoglia, 2016). Most studies of searches for origins explore contacts with the birth mother and few have looked specifically at adopted persons' perspectives regarding their birth father (Passmore & Chipuer, 2009).…”