Welcome to the Single Mothers by Choice website! Whether you are just beginning to consider the possibility of becoming a single mother, are trying to adopt or conceive, or are already a mother, we can provide you with information, resources, and a unique support network of your peers. Single Mothers by Choice (SMC) was founded in 1981 by Jane Mattes, C.S.W., a psychotherapist and single mother by choice. Several thousand single women, predominantly in their thirties and forties, have joined us since that time and remain with us as they strive to be the best parents they can be.

   Our primary purpose is to provide support and information to single women who are considering, or who have chosen, single motherhood. We have members who meet with one another all over the United States, and in Canada, Europe, and beyond. Our members network with one another and share information and resources at local levels as well as through our e-mail lists and newsletters.

   Although we believe that single motherhood is a viable option, we are not an advocacy group, and we feel that the choice to become a parent is a most individual one.

Who Is a Single Mother by Choice?

   A single mother by choice is a woman who decided to have or adopt a child, knowing she would be her child's sole parent, at least at the outset. Typically, we are career women in our thirties and forties. The ticking of our biological clocks has made us face the fact that we could no longer wait for marriage before starting our families. Some of us went to a doctor for donor insemination or adopted in the United States or abroad. Others accidentally became pregnant and discovered we were thrilled.

   Most of us would have preferred to bring a child into the world with two loving parents, but although we have a lifetime to marry or find a partner, nature is not as generous in allotting child-bearing years.

   Single motherhood is ideally for the woman who feels she has much to give a child and who has adequate emotional and financial resources to support herself and her child. Our membership includes thinkers, tryers, and mothers.

   More than half of our members are "thinkers" (as we call women who are considering single motherhood) or "tryers" (women trying to conceive or adopt), and our organization provides a unique support network for women who are going through these very stressful and important stages. We encourage women in the thinking and trying processes to become members of SMC.

   We have members all over and chapters in most major metropolitan areas including, among others, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC/Virginia, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Raleigh/Durham, Rochester, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Western Mass and more. Whether or not there is a chapter near you, you will receive a list of members in your area and contact information for them.

   If you are interested in joining, please visit our membership page. To contact SMC, you can call our office at any time and leave a message at (212) 988-0993 — or send a note to SMC, P.O. Box 1642, New York, NY 10028. You can also reach us by sending an e-mail to smc-office@pipeline.com.

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