Mary Ann Davis – författare

Do adoptions provide children for families or families for children? This book analyzes the complex interactions between adopters and adoptees using historical and current data. Who are the preferred parents and children, both domestically and internationally? How do the types of adoptions-domestic adoptions, private and public through the foster care system, and intercountry adoptions-differ? Domestic trends include a shift to open adoptions and a notable increase in "hard to place", foster care adoptions-typically older, siblings, minorities, with physical, educational, or emotional challenges. Adoptive parents are increasingly all ages (including grandparents); all types of marriages (single, married and same-sex couples); all income levels, with subsidized adoptions for children who would otherwise remain in foster or institutional care.  Intercountry adoptions have followed waves, pushed by wars and political or economic crises in the sending country, and pulled by the increasing demand from the U. S.  Currently there is a decrease in intercountry adoptions from Asia and Eastern Europe with a possible fifth wave from Africa with the greatest number from Ethiopia. This is a resource for family sociologists, demographers, social workers, advocates for children and adoptive parents, as well as those who are interested in the continuing research in adoptions.

This collection highlights and extends contemporary women''s and gender studies by presenting theoretical analyses and innovative research conceptualizations, applications and methodologies via a diverse variety of popular-in-the-classroom topics, such as changing masculinities; comedic/dramatic portrayals of ethnicity and discrimination; stigma and differences within mainstream media gender stereotypes; intersections of gendered and sexual identities in social media and fundamental institutions.

These topics emphasize relevant issues and nuances within popular culture, identities and perceptions and social problems and illustrate the breadth of gender studies and its applications, while the diverse methodologies like historical comparisons; ethnographic, demographic and statistical analyses, demonstrate its epistemology.

Each chapter remains solidly founded in gender theory while making significant innovative contributions to the overall field.