Reply #5: It may reflect concerns about genetics re: temperament and behavior.

[woo me with science]

In my experience, foster parents who take in older children, at least, often prefer girls, because they assume that whatever emotional and genetic baggage the kids bring with them will be easier to handle in girls versus boys. There is a general feeling that girls are more likely to come with internalizing than externalizing problems (e.g., depression versus violent behavior)

I don't know if it's fair...I have known some well-behaved boys in foster care and some little girls who gave families a run for their money...but I think some people are more wary of "rolling the dice" genetically with boys versus girls.

If you are talking about international adoptions, the preference toward girls likely reflects a preference to adopt from countries where the kids are less likely to show serious emotional and developmental adjustment problems. More than a quarter of international adoptees now come from China, and most of these are obviously little girls. Given a choice between adopting from countries where kids are likely to have serious problems related to parental alcoholism, poverty, malnutrition, or institutionalization in horrible conditions, and adopting from China (where the child's main serious "handicap" is often being a girl), families will often choose a little girl from China.