This study investigates the relationship of parental consistency, both between parents and in each parent separately, with respect to socialization attitudes and their longitudinal impact on the developing personality of children. A total of 83 sets of parents completed the Child-Rearing Practices Report (CRPR) when their children were 3 years of…

This paper offers critical reflections on parenting education in its social context. The paper is informed by a feminist perspective, and by a structural approach to practice that emphasizes the importance of changing social structures. An introductory section explores the impact of the ideologies of the traditional family, and of motherhood and…

To investigate how values influence parenting beliefs and practices, a test was made of Kohn's hypothesis that parents valuing self-direction emphasize the supportive function of parenting, while parents valuing conformity emphasize control of unsanctioned behaviors. Participating in the study were 65 mother-infant dyads. Infants ranged in age…

This study investigated Koreans' understanding of and agreement with Korean proverbs concerning the parent-child relationship. Ninety-five proverbs were selected from literature and categorized into nine areas: value of a child, affection toward a child, boy-preference, positive or negative affection toward a daughter, importance of a child's…

Investigated as a function of adults' birth cohort--a group of adults born during a specific time period--were beliefs influencing current attitudes toward parenting that prevail in England and the United States. Particular attention was given to the value attached to parental role in relation to the specific roles of spouse and worker. The total…

Reviewed in this address are research findings demonstrating that while some diversity in families is normal and functional, other forms of family diversity result from problems and are associated with human suffering. It is argued that both developmental and clinical studies have established the general rule that the father's positive presence in…

Seven focus groups were held in an Appalachian county in western North Carolina to examine residents' socially constructed identity as "mountain people." The groups were asked seven general discussion questions about social change, quality of life, and the terms "mountain people" and "Southerners." In striking…

Expected family lifestyles of young adult men and women were investigated by examining relationships among sex role preferences, expectations for female labor force participation, intended family age, and attitudes toward the provision of child care. Subjects, 715 randomly selected college freshmen, completed a data sheet which combined questions…

The major theme of American childhood in the 20th century has been the rise and then the beginning decline of modern childhood. The term "modern childhood" refers to a particular constellation of adult attitudes and institutional arrangements, the heart of which is the belief that children should occupy a world of their own, separate from the…

After a number of years of study by many experts, adolescent sexual intercourse, pregnancy, and childbearing have continued to elude understanding and control. Orthodox students and clinicians have studiously avoided the moral dimensions of such behavior, in spite of the social reality of values and expectations that reject precocious sexuality.…

Noting that there is little focus in research literature, in popular discussions, or in policymaking regarding how to promote positive youth development, this research brief presents a preliminary set of constructs that might comprise positive youth development in order to spark productive conversations that will lead to a better conceptualization…

This paper examines the relationship between Australian women's participation in paid work in the public market and the child-rearing component of their unpaid, non-market work, and the role of public policy in regulating the relationship. The study presents a historical overview of the period between 1939 and 1950. Critical concepts and the ideas…

This paper comments on and suggests alternatives to assumptions concerning child-rearing currently held by many Australians. That family-child relationships change as societies and economies change is a fact not commonly taken for granted, but is a conclusion reached by scholars examining the history of childhood. Recently in Australia, as…

The paper analyzes the work roles of husbands and wives in the 1970s and suggests policies to implement sex equality in the workplace and at home. Data reviewed in the paper support the structural-cultural view that work behavior both inside and outside the home is shaped by deeply embedded cultural and structural forces. In 1975, 41% of families…