Parenting is different in different cultures

Cultural contexts influence parenting and child development. To support parents, it is important to understand these influences

Paper by Jennifer E. Lansford (January 2022). She says:

‘Researchers, practitioners, and programs from international organizations increasingly emphasize the importance of understanding how parenting and child development are influenced by cultural contexts. This understanding can help practitioners and policymakers develop and tailor more effective parenting supports and interventions that are broadly appropriate to families and narrowly appropriate to specific cultures.

‘My colleagues and I have learned a lot about child development in different cultural contexts, as well as about how parenting changes as children develop. In 2008, we recruited 8-year-olds and their mothers and fathers in nine countries (China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States) as part of a long-term study of parenting and child development. We have interviewed the children and their parents annually since that time, and the children are now young adults.

‘Based on our findings, here are some of the ways parenting has changed over time....’