DNA paternity tests: a comparative analysis of the US and Australia.

ABSTRACT

There are five times as many DNA paternity tests per capita in the US than Australia. This is not a consequence of 'technological lag', but a combination of political, cultural and economic factors. First, government agencies in the US enforce relatively more tests, at least partly because of legislative differences in the presumption of paternity. Second, government agencies in the US enforce relatively more tests partly on account of differences in family structure. More specifically, in the US there are relatively more nonmarital births, and nonmarital births are less likely to occur in the context of informal cohabitation where paternity is not in dispute. Third, differences in industry organisation account for more DNA paternity tests per capita in the US. Unlike the Australian market, the US market is characteristically divided between tests done for government agencies and those for private individuals. In turn, the private market in the US is more competitive. In particular, brokerage is pervasive, leading to more proactive marketing through the Internet, day-time television and other avenues. The study highlights the importance of social dynamics in the uptake of new technologies.

KEY WORDS

genetic testing; comparative sociology; paternity testing; sociology of family; sociology of science and technology

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Australia has a population about the same size as Texas: approximately 20 million. In 2003 there were about 5,000 cases involving DNA paternity tests in Australia, about 0.25 cases per 1000 population. (1) In the same year there were about 25,000 DNA paternity cases tested in Texas, five times the number in Australia. For the whole of the US, there were more than 350,000 cases--about 1.25 per 1000 population--conducted in 2003. The population of the US is 15 times greater than that of Australia, but there are about 75 times as many DNA paternity cases, or five times as many per capita. (2)

This article explores why there are so many more DNA paterntity tests per head of population in the US than in Australia. First, it addresses theoretical and methodological issues: that is, the literature on the social implications of genetic testing, and the approach and methods employed in this study. The article then explores four possible explanations for differences in the scale of paternity testing in the US and Australia. The first of these explanations turns upon the influence of technology; the second considers the influence of government policy; the third addresses family structure; and the fourth examines the influence of industry structure and markets.