Are Same-Sex and Single Adoptive Parents More Likely to Adopt Transracially? A National Analysis of Race, Family Structure, and the Adoption Marketplace

Abstract

This study contributes to the literature on child adoption by providing an analysis of how conceptions of kinship and constructions of race shape how families are sorted and matched in an adoption marketplace. Drawn from a national sample of adoptive households (n = 63,681), the author analyzes whether there is significant variation in the likelihood of white married, single, divorced, and same-sex couples choosing transracial adoption. Results indicate that “nontraditional” same-sex and single adoptive parents are the most likely to adopt non-white children, even when controlling for additional market variables. Although white adoptive parents, in general, are more likely to transracially adopt Hispanic and Asian children, white single and same-sex adoptive parents are significantly more likely to adopt black children. The author's findings underscore the importance of considering how market forces shape even the most intimate aspects of family building decisions.