Document Type

Article

Version

Author's Final Manuscript

Publication Title

Journal of Marriage and Family

Volume

78

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which national and personal socioeconomic status shapes national norms and parenting priorities concerning child socialization. Data came from European Values Survey, World Values Survey, and World Bank Data Catalog, resulting in 227,431 parents from 90 nations across fives study waves (1981-2008). At nation-level, child independence was more popular in nations with greater wealth and higher percentage of educated populations; obedience was more popular in nations with less wealth and lower percentages of educated and urban populations. At person-level, personal socioeconomic status rather than national socioeconomic characteristics predicted individual parents’ prioritization of child independence and obedience; higher social class predicted greater likelihood of endorsing independence and not endorsing obedience. Time slope estimation across study waves revealed that parental prioritization of both independence and obedience expected to rise over time in developing nations. Results provide implications for education, practice, and policy concerning cultural variation in parenting.

DOI

10.1111/jomf.12247

Included in

Psychology Commons

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