Geographies of Child Adoption in Greece During the Economic Crisis (2011-2018): Spatial Thinking of Inequalities, Trends, and Policies

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate an area previously unexplored by human geographers: the spatial and sociodemographic structure of adoptions in Greece during the economic crisis. The main purpose is twofold: (a) to examine potential inequalities emerging either from the gender and age of the adopted child or from the spatial distribution of the children and (b) to capture agglomeration or dispersion clusters of adoptions in Greece. The study employed panel data across the 13 regions of Greece for the period 2011-2018. To detect inequalities in adoptions, demographic and spatial indicators were used as well as specific inequality measures via statistical computing (R). Through thematic cartography and spatial analysis methods, the proximity effects in child adoption during the economic crisis were examined. The results led to the conclusion that crisis periods dramatically affect the rates of child adoption. Both gender and spatial inequalities were intertemporal and particularly high. Greece is marked by uneven geographies calling for new policy measures. Thus, the present paper could serve as a basis for an ‘adoption observatory’ in Greece.

Benefits, Risk Factors and Cognitive Insights for Improving the Well-being of Minors in Greek Foster Care.

“…References by Kadir & Mohd (2022) and Damaskopoulou et al (2022) explore the broader economy and policy implications which offer a detailed understanding of the factors influencing foster care practices in Greece. Anastasiou (2021) and Lazarides & Drimpetas (2011) provide valuable information on the spatial and sociodemographic aspects of fostering and the assessment of corporate governance, revealing the intricacies and difficulties in this field. Overall, the fostering child protection framework in Greece is complex and ever-changing, presenting benefits and potential disadvantages.…”

Adoption openness and adoption stigma: a retrospective study of adult adoptees

“…In Greece, adoptions are at low levels, with 2.970 adoptions happening during the economic crisis (ELSTAT 2019 ). Child adoption in Greece is time consuming as the bureaucracy has enlarged the waiting period to up to 6 years, upsetting many of the potential adoptive parents (Anastasiou 2021 ; Grigoropoulos 2019a ).…”