Do Child-Rearing Values in Taiwan and the United States Reflect Cultural Values of Collectivism and Individualism?

Abstract

Eighty-one middle-class mothers of 3- and 4-year-old children from urban cities in Taiwan and the United States were interviewed about their child-rearing values. Three methods were used to assess values: open-ended probes, Likert-type ratings, and ordering of values according to importance. Child-rearing values could be grouped into five broad categories: individuality, achievement, proper demeanor, decency, and connectedness. U.S. mothers' child-rearing values were somewhat consistent with an individualistic orientation, yet they considered values associated with connectedness to be most important. Taiwanese mothers' child-rearing values were less focused on any specific category. Findings from the three methods suggest that child-rearing values in Taiwan and the United States cannot be dichotomized as collectivist or individualist. Mothers in the two societies embraced both individualist and collectivist values.