Parents' child-rearing values and beliefs in the United States and Russia: the impact of culture and social class

Abstract

Parents' values for their children and their beliefs about appropriate child-rearing practices contribute to the ways in which they try to shape their children's development. This paper examines the values and beliefs of 71 parents (37 mothers and 34 fathers) from two cities in the United States and Russia. Half of the families were middle class (determined by education and occupation criteria) and half were working class. The results revealed no cross-societal differences in value for self-direction in the children; perhaps reflecting the recent economic and ideological changes in Russia. In contrast, significant social class differences, for both mothers and fathers, were found in child-rearing values and beliefs. Middle class parents in both societies were more likely to value self-direction and believe that children should have freedom in and around the home, whereas working class parents were more likely to believe that children should be expected to conform to rules. The results of this study underscore the role of within-society heterogeneity, as a function of social class, in parents' values and beliefs about child-rearing.