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Factors affecting adoption in China, 1950-87
Jihong Liu1, Ulla Larsen, Grace Wyshak
1Office of Family Health, Oregon Department of Human Services, Portland, OR 97232, USA.
Population Studies
|June 19, 2004
Summary
Chinese adoption practices reveal that childless women, those seeking a specific sex child, and those who experienced child death were more likely to adopt between 1950-87. Adoption also served as a family planning policy workaround.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Chinese Studies
Background:
- The one-child policy in China (implemented in the 1980s) is linked to increased female child abandonment and subsequent adoption.
- Despite this, detailed understanding of Chinese adoption practices remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors influencing adoption in China during the 1950-1987 period.
- To analyze motivations behind adoption, including childlessness, sex preference, and family planning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1988 National Two-Per-Thousand Sample Survey on Fertility and Contraception.
- Conducted statistical analysis to identify determinants of adoption.
Main Results:
- The national adoption rate was found to be 2.3 percent.
- Childless women were more inclined to adopt without sex preference.
- Women with existing children adopted to secure a child of the 'missing' sex or to circumvent family planning policies.
- Women who had experienced a child's death showed a higher propensity to adopt.
Conclusions:
- Adoption in China during 1950-1987 was influenced by multiple factors including childlessness, sex selection, and reproductive strategies.
- Adoption served diverse familial and policy-related purposes beyond simple child acquisition.