Cultural Perspectives on Parenting

Abstract

This chapter focuses on cultural influences on parenting, examining patterns across countries, but also within countries in different ethnic groups. Whereas forms vary, two broad functions of parenting practices can be consistently identified across cultural contexts: establishing a relational bond providing safety and security in infancy (commonly referred to as attachment), and transmitting culturally appropriate behavior, knowledge, and skills throughout the childhood years. The chapter then looks at the role of culture in ethnic minority parenting, which has unique features that are different from those in ethnic majority groups. It concludes by reflecting on the state of the research field of culture and parenting, and directions for the future. Given the high cultural diversity in many urban regions in the world where professionals deal with families from all over the world, and the frequent “export” of parenting interventions from the West to other parts of the world, the field would benefit enormously from investing in mixed-methods studies examining these processes in situations where cultures meet, and where it is not immediately clear which cultural norms should prevail.