A study by the Center for Economic Policy Research (study) has found that when it comes to adopting children in America, there is a noticeable bias in favor of girls and a significant bias against Black boys.

Analyzing data from an online adoption facilitator, four economists found that girls were consistently favored over boys and the least favored of all was Black male babies.

The authors suggest that this preference for girls in cases of adoptive children may be because adoptive parents “fear dysfunctional social behavior in adopted children and perceive girls as ‘less risky’ than boys in that respect.”

Even homosexuals seeking to adopt a child showed a preference for girls and against Black boys. Indeed, the bias against Black boys was greater among gays than among straights.

Overall, adoptive parents were seven times more likely to prefer white and Hispanic children over African American children – regardless of gender.

The trend in the United States runs counter to that in most foreign countries where boys are generally preferred over girls.

Indeed, foreign adoptive parents tended to show less of a preference for girls and less of a bias against Black boys. (source: Taylor Media Services)