A study carried out in Japan suggests that the way you raise your children significantly influences your future ideas about the importance of marriage – or dating – and the number of children you plan to have . Led by Professors Nishimura Kazuo, from Kobe University, and Yagi Tadashi, from Doshisha University, the researchers distinguish five parenting modalities in Japanese society:
- Comprehensive: assumes high levels of independence, confidence, interest in children and investment of time with them.
- Strict (called ‘tiger’ ): it implies less trust than the previous one and, in some cases, less attention to children, although it is educated with many rules.
- Permissive : there is more relaxation and an average or above average time investment.
- Carefree : little interest in children and few rules.
- Aggressive : low level of confidence and interest accompanied, yes, by strict rules.
After examining the data collected by 10,000 online surveys, the scientists came to a first conclusion: the comprehensive style of education produced greater income, happiness and academic success in the little ones . But in addition, the children who experienced this family environment saw their father and mother as models , both for themselves and for their future partner. “Our findings indicate that this attitude is related to a greater predisposition to marriage and the desire to have children,” said Professor Nishimura Kazuo.
At the opposite extreme we find children subjected to aggressive upbringing : they are the least prone to mating and having offspring; that is, they do not consider their parents as role models and they do not want to adopt that role tomorrow.
The research is part of the Fundamental Research for Sustainable Economic Growth in Japan (RIETI) project.
