MARIA PILAR ISLA PERA. (UB)

Adopciones y acogimientos en España: desafíos, oportunidades y dificultades familiares y sociales durante la infancia y la adolescencia (Ciencia Política, Sociología y Geografía (CPOL,SOCI y GEOG)) . 2013 - 2015 . Ref.CSO2012-39593-C02-01 . Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad . IP: Diana Marre Cifola . (24 Investigadores) . Spain has had one of the lowest birth rates in the world since 1995: only 1.38 children per family were born in 2010. Between 1997 and 2010 Spain received around 50,000 children from transnational adoption, making it second in the world in terms of the number of children received. Spain also has the second highest rate of assisted reproduction treatments in Europe. Because these popular reproductive technologies were unknown in Spain before the 90's, these trends represent a far-reaching demographic shift and signal a transformation of parenthood, youth-hood and childhood in Spain. Many of Spain's transnational adoptees are now in primary school, and, according to the findings of our previous projects, are presenting a new challenge for families, educators and clinicians. Children adopted during the so-called "Spanish adoption boom" (which peaked in 2004) are now reaching adolescence and require medical, psychological, educational, and social services that draw on Spain's social welfare system in novel ways. The integration of transnational adoptees has already transformed Spanish society. But more recently, a decline in the availability of children for adoption in the sending countries since 2005 has initiated further significant changes. Increased waiting times for adoption in Spain have led many desperate prospective parents to explore alternatives, such as adopting domestically, adopting children with special needs, fostering, and becoming parents through new routes, such as surrogacy. As these men and women seek new ways of becoming parents, they are transforming both the processes for and the meanings attached to creating a family in Spain. The aim of this collaborative project is to achieve a better knowledge and understanding of these new forms of parenthood, youth-hood and childhood in Spain. From a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective, it will focus on transnationally adopted and fostered teens, youths and children, as well as on new forms of parenthood in Spain. These topics simultaneously undermine and reinforce standard assumptions about personhood, parenthood, identity and belonging as well as about 'normality', health, inclusion/exclusion and individual, familial and social welfare and discomfort. Personhood and parenthood through adoption or new reproductive technologies require not only new research but also new social and public policies and services (medical, psychological, educational, cultural, economic and juridical) in order to prevent or alleviate personal suffering and familial and social discomfort. Therefore, this collaborative project seeks to extend and consolidate a multidisciplinary (socioanthropological, medical, psychological and juridical), multisectorial (universities, public and private entities and professionals and practitioners) and multiregional research team around these issues through the participation of highly dedicated researchers. Like our former project, it includes researchers, advisers, consultants and auditors from other countries who are experienced in domestic and transnational adoption, fosterage and 'new' parenthoods. This new and powerful scientific structure, as experienced in our former collaborative project, allows us to reach objectives that would be difficult to meet through smaller or more restricted teams. This collaborative project will carry out high quality research, which will be disseminated not only through international and national scientific events and high-impact publications, but also through events, activities and material addressed to adoptees and their families, friends and communities. Its findings will contribute to a better understanding of contemporary social issues related to childhoods, youth-hoods and parenthoods and will guide continued improvements of practices and public policies.

Familias
Niños
Adopción internacional
Adolescentes

MARIA PILAR ISLA PERA

Proyectos

Publicaciones en revistas