How China’s one-child policy impacted US adoptions

Children, News

Can you imagine leaving your baby at an orphanage just because she’s a girl?

That’s what many Chinese couples used to do, because until very recently China had a policy restricting families to having just one child. Sons traditionally take care of their parents in Chinese society, while girls leave to care of their in-laws, so a son was considered crucial. But daughters? Not as much. Under the one-child policy, tens of thousands of baby girls were abandoned and made available for adoption—or, tragically, aborted or killed as infants.

Girl shortage alters the flow of adoptions

The policy had a huge impact on adoptions in the United States. For years, China ranked as the top source of foreign-born children adopted in this country. But China’s leaders realized their one-child policy had produced a gender imbalance, and as a result, there was a serious shortage of women to marry the chosen sons.

So in 2007, the Chinese government began to restrict adoptions in 2007, prohibiting adoption by parents who are obese, single, over 50, have facial deformities, have taken antidepressants, or do not meet certain educational or financial criteria. The new restrictions drastically reduced the number of qualified adoptive parents, and thus eased the gender gap.

And in October, the Chinese government changed the one-child policy, allowing each couple to now legally have two children. With the change, fewer children than ever will be available for adoption from China, and Chinese women who give birth to a girl will not feel pressured to abandon the child.

While there are still U.S. families on the waiting list to adopt infants, most adoptable children from China are now special needs children, older children, or sibling groups. Also, to adopt a child from China, one must wait upwards of three years and spend tens of thousands (expect to spend about $50,000).

Unsurprisingly, given the above, the influx of adopted babies from China in the US has slowed dramatically. In 2005, there were almost 8,000 children adopted and 95 percent were girls; that’s now down to only about 2,000 children per year, with girls accounting for roughly half of those. Ukraine and Ethiopia are considered the best bets these days for international adoptions.

China adoptions brought change

The huge influx of children from China had an important impact on the United States and American families. Many Americans know a family that has adopted a child from China, which has fueled increased acceptance and understanding of other cultures. Moreover, the availability of girls from China made international adoption popular and mainstream.

Even the current cutbacks can’t alter the huge cultural changes that came about as baby girls arrived from China. Adoptive families will look elsewhere to expand their families, but the impact China has had on the adoption scene will last for generations.

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