Cultural differences in perception of desirability of parental style: the role of sex and age of the child

Abstract

The present study investigated the perceptions of emerging adults regarding desirable parental styles and sought to gain an understanding of whether cultural background, the age paradigm of the child being reared, and gender (of the respondent and child) were contributing factors. A modified version of the Parental Styles Questionnaire was used to measure the perceptions of desirable parental practices. The current study demonstrated that the democratic style of parenting was perceived as the favoured parental practice by both Chinese and Canadian respondents, that the permissive style of parenting was perceived negatively by both cultures (significantly more so by Canadians), and that authoritarian practices were perceived negatively by Chinese, while they were perceived positively by Canadian (when parenting both genders and significantly more so for boys). There were no significant differences in perceptions according to the age of the child or gender of the respondent.