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.