Intergenerational Transmission of Authoritative Parenting Style: Evidence from Japan

Abstract

We examine and verify our hypothesis from a theoretical model that parents are more likely to be authoritative if they are from wealthy families. Using the data from the Preference Parameters Study of Osaka University, Japan, we find that there are significantly positive associations between respondents' authoritative parenting style and their family living standards when 15 years old. This result shows how childhood family economic status influences the intergenerational transmission of parenting style.

Why parenting matters for children in the 21st century

“…In modernised societies many families feel disconnected from their neighbourhoods and communities (OECD, 2016 [15]; Zahran, 2011 [3]). This has weakened the informal social support and safety net for a lot of families, requiring more families to assume full responsibility for their children's welfare, rather than relying on the extended family and community as a whole to join in the oversight, protection, and nurturing of children (Pimentel, 2016[19]).…”