‘Tiger mom, panda dad’: a study of contemporary Chinese parenting profiles

Abstract

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to explore the inter-parental differences and the major clusters of Chinese parenting profile in a sample of preschoolers’ fathers and mothers in urban China. Eighty-six Chinese couples in Shenzhen completed a parenting style questionnaire, and four couples were interviewed to provide additional illumination. A paired t-test was used to find inter-parental differences and cluster analysis was used to find major clusters of parenting profiles. Mothers were more authoritarian than fathers. Three major clusters of parenting profiles were found: easy-going parenting, followed by tiger parenting and supportive parenting. Inter-parental differences existed among these couples, and ‘tiger moms’ and ‘panda dads’ were common in these Chinese families.