[spaypets]

On another thread a prospective adoptive mother spoke of the birthmother changing her mind and deciding to parent when the baby turned out to be a boy instead of girl.

Interestingly, in international adoption, at least, in countries that have as many boys as girls available the wait for girls is longer because Americans prefer to adopt girls.

A New York Times article this fall wrote of a study that said families that had boys were less likely to divorce, that in families with two girls there was a statistically higher chance of a third pregnancy (presumably trying for a boy) than in families with two boys. The authors of the study saw both of these as an American preference for boys.

So I'm wondering what people think of these two contradictory facts. I have some thoughts:

1. The NYT story also mentioned a class /income difference in families with a preference for boys than girls. I suspect it's more prevelant in certain immigrant communities, which may not the same sectors who adopt internationally.

2. American think of girls as easier -- so if the family history is unknown, they may think there will be fewer problems with adopting a girl.

Speaking for myself, I know many more mothers with two sons who secretly wish for a daughter than the other way around, so I was surprised by the NYT story. Second, we wanted to adopt a girl because my brother and my cousins all have daughters similar in age and no sons. We had more experience/contact with little girls as a result.