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what about adoptive dads?

Why only mothers? Do adoptive fathers not have adjustments to make as well?

I always assume when I see “mothers” they mean both - and vice versa - so if I was a Dad and wanted to contribute I would reply. I’ve emailed - as I’ve plenty to say - and it’s complex not simple as you know - but haven’t heard back or had an acknowledgement yet

The researcher Louise Camm-Crosbie wanted to clarify her reasons for just focusing on adoptive mothers in this particular study:

"Thank you very much for the comments about the importance of considering the experiences of fathers.

It is not our intention at all to suggest that only the experiences of mothers are relevant, or to imply that mothers should be regarded as the primary caregivers. This was designed as a very tightly focused piece of research, and the methodology we are using requires us to interview a small number of participants who have similar characteristics, including their gender.

We agree with the importance of challenging gender-stereotypes about parenting, though because these stereotypes can impact upon experiences of fathering and mothering, we decided to focus on one gender and in this case mothers.

We are keen to develop more research projects in this area and could very feasibly develop a follow-up study focusing on father’s experiences."

So if that’s the case, why mothers and not fathers? They share the same gender, do they not? Maybe they fathers have less time, are less inclined to respond …. Maybe their time is more valuable? They may want to challenge gender stereotyping but this is exactly what they’re not doing here