Raising the “Model” Child. Cultural Traditions and Aspirations: A U.S.-China Comparison

The United States and China are two societies with distinctive cultures. Common to many of the discussions of American culture is the perception that Americans value individual independence. Chinese culture, on the other hand, is said to emphasize conformity. Using data from the World Values Survey 1990-2007, this paper examines patterns of child socialization values in the United States and China. Empirical evidence provides little support for the conventional assumptions. In fact Americans are much more likely than Chinese to value children’s obedience. Chinese, on the other hand, are more likely than Americans to endorse children’s independence. The study also finds that, despite of crossnational differences in cultural tradition and political system, Americans and Chinese are quite similar in their thinking of the kinds of things to teach children at home. Among the top six values endorsed within each country, five are identical. Sources and implications of the findings are discussed. Introduction Child socialization values, the values that parents hold high in teaching children, occupy a central place in the studies of the family and social stratification. Socialization values not only condition parental behavior in childrearing practices, they also help shape children's value systems and behavior, which affect their life chances and pathways to success. Thus, an examination of the patterns of socialization values enhances our understanding of the process of status reproduction and social mobility. In the abundant research that has been undertaken primarily in the United States, there is a consensus that parents differ on a common set of values they desire in children. This set of values is independence and obedience. Among the ecological factors that influence parental valuation of independence and obedience, the role of social class is particularly significant and consistent. Studies over the past several decades have found that, while middle class parents place greater emphasis on their children's independence, working class parents are more concerned with their children's obedience (Alwin, 1988; Gecas, 1979; Grimm-Thomas and Perry-Jenkins, 1994; Kohn, 1977; Spade, 1991). It is argued that while parents' valuation of independence facilitates children's upward mobility, parents' emphasis on obedience prohibits it (Kohn, 1977). Child socialization values may vary across societies as well as across individuals. Socialization, the process by which children are educated with the norms, values, and behaviors of a society, exists in every culture of the world. Because the general social structure is influenced by culture, the content of socialization is also based on the salient cultural values of society. Due to the influence of cultural history and social systems, characteristics valued in children in one society may not be valued in another. In addition, ecological factors that are closely linked to a particular child socialization value in one culture may not be associated to that