Gibby AL, Thomas K. Adoption: A Strategy to Fulfill Sex Preferences of U.S. Parents.
JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2019;
81:531-541. [PMID:
31105334 PMCID:
PMC6521878 DOI:
10.1111/jomf.12541]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
This article examines adoption as a strategy used by parents to fulfill their preference for a specific sex composition among their children in the United States.
BACKGROUND
Evidence from the United States suggests that parents with children of the same sex are more likely to continue childbearing, as parents generally desire at least one girl and one boy. What is unknown, however, is whether parents use adoption to fulfill this same preference.
METHOD
Using data from the 2016 American Community Survey (n=1,107,800 children), the authors test the relationships among the sex composition of preceding siblings, child sex, and adoption status.
RESULTS
Children who had same-sex preceding siblings were more likely to be adopted, as opposed to biologically related to their parents, than children who had mixed-sex preceding siblings. Further, adopted children were more likely to be of the missing sex (i.e., adopted girls were more likely than were adopted boys to have only preceding brothers).
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest a need to consider parental sex preferences and child sex in studies on adoption decisions. Further, adoption provides one mechanism parents can use to achieve a balanced sex composition among their children.
Collapse