Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. Economics Dept.
Advisor(s)
Samara Gunter
Second Advisor
Erin Giffin
Abstract
In this study, I examine the differences in well-being and long-term outcomes between adopted and non-adopted Korean Americans. The vast majority of adopted Korean Americans are placed with white, heterosexual couples, positioning them in a unique position in American society. While they are raised in white families and often disconnected from Korean culture, they are still perceived and treated as Asian by society. Scholars refer to this tension as the transracial adoptee paradox. This study explores how that paradox affects both economic and non-economic outcomes. The analysis finds that adopted Koreans tend to earn higher incomes than their non-adopted peers, but adoption is associated with 0.722 fewer years of education. In terms of non-economic indicators, adopted Korean Americans are 5% more likely to be married, yet they have, on average, 0.0739 fewer children than non-adopted Korean Americans. These findings underscore the complex ways that race, family, and identity intersect to diverge the life trajectories of transracial adoptees from non-adopted individuals.
Keywords
Adoption, Economics, Korean Adoption, Korean Americans
Recommended Citation
Jones, Grace H., "The International Transracial Adoption Effect: Measuring The Well-Being of Korean Adoptees vs. Non-Adopted Korean Americans" (2025). Honors Theses. Paper 1480.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/1480
Included in
Econometrics Commons, Economic Theory Commons, Income Distribution Commons, Other Economics Commons
