Intergenerational transmission of parental child-rearing gender-role attitudes and its influence on gender roles in single-parent families

I-Jun Chen; Xiaoxiao Wang; Zhiyin Sun; Panlin Tang; Peiyi Chen

doi:10.1186/s40359-024-01594-z

Intergenerational transmission of parental child-rearing gender-role attitudes and its influence on gender roles in single-parent families

BMC Psychol. 2024 Feb 26;12(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01594-z.

Authors

I-Jun Chen¹, Xiaoxiao Wang², Zhiyin Sun², Panlin Tang², Peiyi Chen²

Affiliations

¹ School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), Dushuhu Campus, No.1, Wenjing Road, 215123, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. herbchen66@163.com.
² School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), Dushuhu Campus, No.1, Wenjing Road, 215123, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China.

Abstract

Background: The development of children's gender roles in single-parent families is worthy of attention. It may be affected by family members' gender roles and parental child-rearing gender-role attitudes (PCGA). PCGA will form a consistent or inconsistent intergenerational relationship between parents and children.

Objective: This study examined the intergenerational similarities in gender roles and PCGA. Also, the intergenerational transmission of parental child-rearing gender-role attitudes (ITPCGA) in single-parent families, and the impact of various family factors on children's gender roles were comprehensively considered.

Method: Participants were 550 single-parent parent-adolescent dyads. The Gender-role Scale and the Parental Child-rearing Gender-role Attitude Scale were used to evaluate participants' gender-role and PCGA. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the intergenerational similarities in gender roles and PCGA, and the influencing family factors of ITPCGA and children's gender roles.

Results: The intergenerational similarities of gender role types and PCGA types existed. Both parents' gender roles and family gender pairs affected ITPCGA, father-daughter families and parents' undifferentiated and sex-typed gender roles significantly predicted undesirable ITPCGA. Family gender pair, parent's gender roles and ITPCGA types affected children's gender roles. Undesirable ITPCGA significantly predicted children's undifferentiated gender roles; father-daughter families and mother-son families, parents' undifferentiated and sex-typed gender roles significantly predicted children's sex-typed gender roles, and mother-son families and parents' reversed gender roles significantly predicted children's reversed gender role.

Conclusions: This study highlights the effects of single-parent family gender pairs and parents' gender roles on ITPCGA, which influences the development of children's gender roles.

Keywords: Gender role; Intergenerational transmission; Parental child-rearing gender-role attitude; Single-parent family.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Female
Gender Identity
Gender Role*
Humans
Parent-Child Relations
Parents
Single-Parent Family*

Grants and funding

18BRK039/National Social Science Foundation of China