Parenting Aspirations among Chinese International Students of Diverse Sexual Identities: A Cultural Perspective

Abstract

We investigated parenting aspirations among Chinese international students of diverse sexual identities in the United States. We also studied associations of perceived impact of Chinese and American culture with parenting aspirations. In total, 265 Chinese international students (M age = 23.03 years; all cisgender) participated in an online survey; 210 self-identified as heterosexual (58 male and 152 female) and 55 as members of sexual minorities (16 male and 39 female). Results showed that sexual minority students were less likely than heterosexual students to aspire to become parents. Both for heterosexual and for sexual minority students, the perceived impact of Confucianism was positively associated with parenting aspirations, but that of American culture was negatively associated with parenting desire. Moreover, sexual identity moderated the association between the perceived impact of Buddhism and parenting aspirations. For heterosexual students, the association between perceived impact of Buddhism and parenting aspirations was positive, but for sexual minority students, it was negative. Our findings highlighted the essential role of Confucianism in aspirations for the future among Chinese youth. The impact of Buddhism was, however, moderated by students’ sexual identities. Overall, the results extend those of earlier research on the role of sexual identities in shaping young adults’ aspirations.