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Articles

Family Trends and Transracial Adoption in the United States

, &
Pages 73-87 | Received 11 Mar 2011, Accepted 08 Dec 2011, Published online: 01 Jun 2012
 

Abstract

Several demographic trends have changed family formation in the United States resulting in fewer babies being made available for adoption. At the same time the number of transracial adoptions appears to be increasing. We use the 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the 2000 census and the National Survey of Adoptive Parents to examine the social and demographic characteristics of those who adopt transracially. Transracial adoption of Hispanic and Asian children, but not Black children, is associated with higher income and education levels. It is less likely in the South, but more likely among those who have had military experience.

Notes

1. We use common racial and ethnic designations in this article but recognize that identification of race or Hispanic origins can be fraught with ambiguity for some who are biracial or multiracial. We also recognize that these are socially defined categories, not biological ones.

2. For reviews of the increases in interracial marriage see Kalmijn (Citation1993, 1998), Qian (Citation1997), Heaton and Jacobson (Citation2000), and Kalmijn and Flap (Citation2001).

3. Accessed July 20, 2011.

4. Accessed March 11, 2011. Note that the Department of Homeland Security does not have a comparable graph that includes the 2010 data.

5. Accessed July 20, 2011.

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