Love, Money, and Parenting: How Economics Explains the Way We Raise Our Kids

Love,Money,and Parenting explores how economic forces and growing inequality shape how parents raise their children, revealing an increasing "parenting gap" between richer and poorer families. It discusses how investments in early childhood development and education systems can help shape policies that promote equal opportunity for all.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 05 February 2019
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Parents worldwide strive to ensure their children's happiness and success, but their approaches to achieving this goal vary significantly. In contrast to Scandinavian parents, who are known for their permissive parenting style, American and Chinese parents are increasingly adopting authoritative and authoritarian approaches. This phenomenon can be attributed to various economic factors and growing inequality.

Love, Money, and Parenting delves into the intricate relationship between economic forces and parenting practices, spanning from medieval times to the present. The book explores how economic incentives and constraints, such as money, knowledge, and time, influence parenting practices and what is considered good parenting in different countries.

Through personal anecdotes and original research, Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti shed light on how economic inequality impacts parenting in countries like the United States. They argue that in these countries, parents are increasingly pushing their children to secure a path to success, leading to a frenzied and overscheduled approach to parenting. Growing inequality has also created a significant "parenting gap" between richer and poorer families, raising concerns about diminished social mobility and fewer opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In contrast, nations with less economic inequality, such as Sweden, experience lower stakes and less threat to social mobility. Doepke and Zilibotti discuss how investments in early childhood development and the design of education systems play a crucial role in the parenting equation. They also explore how economics can inform policies that promote the ideal of good parenting and support children's well-being regardless of their economic background.

Overall, Love, Money, and Parenting provides a comprehensive and historical analysis of how parenting choices are shaped by economic forces. It sheds light on the diverse approaches taken by parents worldwide and highlights the urgent need for policies that promote equity and support children's holistic development. By understanding the interplay between economics and parenting, we can work towards creating a more inclusive and nurturing society for all children.

Weight: 706g
Dimension: 239 x 164 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691171517