Child-Rearing Values of Estonian and Finnish Mothers and Fathers

Abstract

This study compares the child-rearing values of mothers and fathers of 4 to 6-year-old children in Estonia and Finland. All samples assign the most value to characteristics related to benevolence, self-direction, and being trustworthy. Valuing smartness and politeness is specific to the Estonian culture, and valuing hedonism is specific to the Finnish culture. Compared with Estonian parents, Finnish parents tend to stress benevolence, hedonism, and bad habits rather than conformity and achievement; their child-rearing values are more homogeneous; and the values held by a mother and father from the same family reveal more similarities. Estonian mothers attach more importance to benevolence and conformity than do Estonian fathers. Child-rearing values do not differ according to the child's gender. The findings suggest that differences in child-rearing values related to parental gender depend on the cultural context.