New Study Shows Increase in Transracial Adoptions

Adoptive parents know it well: love, not DNA, is what makes a family. Transracial adoptive families especially know that you don’t have to look like someone to love them — and according to a recent study from the Institute of Family Studies, this sentiment is growing in popularity.
The study reveals that transracial adoptions have become more common than ever over the past decade; since 1999, the proportion of adopted kindergartners being raised by a mother of a different race has increased by 50 percent. In fact, about 44 percent of adopted kindergartners were being raised by transracial adoptive parents at the time of the study.
The study also breaks down the percentage of adopted children being raised by parents of another race or ethnicity:

• 90 percent of Asian adoptees
• 64 percent of multiracial adoptees
• 62 percent of Hispanic adoptees
• 55 percent of African-American adoptees

Many expect these numbers to continue to grow as society becomes increasingly multicultural. This increase in transracial adoptions is a positive step for the U.S. during a new age of complicated race relations; recent events in Charlottesville alone highlight the types of complex racial issues that transracial families have to contend with. But, as this study shows, there are still plenty of prospective adoptive parents ready to embrace all of the rewards and challenges of transracial adoption and parenting.
To learn more about the Institute of Family Studies’ research and transracial adoption, visit American Adoptions.