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Will Tiger Mothers Have Bigger Litters?
Chinese families may soon be allowed to grow
China is rethinking its one-child policy. What will that mean for the Tiger Mothers? Will perfection still seem within reach when there are two or three or more cubs prowling the nest?
For a generation, China has placed a limit on the number of kids you can have, with most families limited to only one child. Rural families and some others with special circumstances are exempt, but for most families, it’s one kid only.
Since 1980, China has imposed steep fines on most families if they have more than one child. That may change soon. Some Chinese officials have suggested a nationwide “two-child” policy may replace the “one-child” policy by 2015.
China’s infamous one-child policy was originally supposed to remain in place for only 30 years, but last year the 30-year deadline came and went with no changes. The Wall Street Journal reports that the government is considering proposals to change the ban on multiple kids.
How will this affect the Tiger Mothers? Will the problems with the Tiger Mother hypothesis become even more evident?
Will Chinese parenting practices change if parents start having larger families? Parenting more than one kid is a whole different game from raising an only child. You’re more exhausted, for more years. You have to spread your resources out: each kid gets a little less of your money, your time and your attention. On the bright side, your kids have each other to learn from and grow with. It makes for a more chaotic family, but still a rich one.
Only children fare better in some key ways, though. The majority of students at MIT are either only kids or oldest siblings. There’s something about being first or only that feeds academic success. Will the tiger mamas have to settle for more second prizes if they start having more babies? What other changes might come to Chinese parenting if the ban on multiple kids is lifted?
Photo: funbobseye
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7 Comments
Gretchen Powers commented on Mar 09 11 at 12:37 pmUsually your posts are smart. This one isn’t so much. You’re mixing a reality for a billion people (the possible change from a one- to two-child policy in China) with a memoir of one Chinese-American woman. I doubt the many millions of mothers in China aren’t “Tiger Mothers” and that the whole Chinese kid excelling thing doesn’t really work when everyone around you is Chinese. This post makes no sense.
Gretchen Powers commented on Mar 09 11 at 12:38 pmI should say “I doubt the many millions of mothers in China ARE ‘Tiger Mothers’”…
Sierra Black commented on Mar 09 11 at 12:46 pmIt’s a fair point, Gretchen. I was generalizing. Amy Chua’s whole stance is based on the idea that those generalizations have value though. She claims her attitudes are typical of Chinese moms, and even if there’s huge variety in how actual Chinese parents operate – I assume there must be, since, as you say, we’re talking about a billion people – her writing reflects something about the norms and expectations for parents in that culture.
Gretchen Powers commented on Mar 09 11 at 1:27 pmSorry, not meaning to be harsh…I guess I just found Chua’s bit to be more about a select set (stereotype?) or Chinese IMMIGRANT mothers…anyway, if the Tiger mother thing holds true, I would think they’d have to be MORE Tiger-ish if there are going to be more people in the population with whom their offspring must compete (?) Population stuff is touchy to me, anyway, as I think Americans could do with some self-imposed population control, but that’s a side topic, I suppose….
Bunnytwenty commented on Mar 09 11 at 4:50 pmThe use of the word “litter” in the headline is kinda making me cringe.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 09 11 at 6:51 pmI agree with Bunny20. The headline sounds pretty fucking racist. Coulda gone with “more cubs,” but no, that wouldn’t convey the threat of the yellow peril adequately, now would it?
Victoria commented on Mar 27 11 at 11:11 amThe assumptions this piece is based on are flawed. I recently heard an NPR piece on actual Chinese parenting and the Chinese with one child are much more like our current generation of indulgent yuppie parents than people who endorse Amy Chua’s brand of parenting. The piece actually contrasted Chua’s assertions with the current reality in China and Chinese parents responded to what Chua described as her parenting practices. They tend to give to their children, rather than demand from them. Chua’s parenting is the result of a different dynamic than the suddenly more-affluent and limited to one child current generation of Chinese parents.
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