China Economy: All About Chinese Mothers?
After the US, the Chinese economy is the second largest in the world. China's stunning rise, the majority of which has occurred over the past thirty years, has its roots in a number of factors, including the advent of state capitalism in China; a massive surge in exports; and a huge savings rate that can fuel investment.
But what if we have all been missing a major contributor to Chinese growth? According to Amy Chua in the Wall Street Journal, credit for the Chinese miracle ought to go to Chinese mothers. In her weekend article "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," she takes a whack at US mothers, who she thinks lack the ability to instill discipline and raise the bar for their kids.
This is scathing stuff and created a mild uproar almost immediately. I know the feeling, Amy. When I posted about the World's Richest Self-Made Women, there was an immediate reaction, not only because Oprah Winfrey didn't take the top spot, but also due to the fact that the top three were Chinese women.
One explanation for the surge in China's wealthy women was the Center for Work-Life Policy study that highlighted a higher level of ambition in Chinese women than in their American counterparts. But according to Chua, Chinese mothers probably instill that ambition, starting with school performance.
The vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children.These mothers are hard-core--no namby-pampy, just participating is the point. Chinese mothers want success. "What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it." So much for "just participating is is enough..."
Some of her stuff just sounds wacky, but considering that mothers often get blamed for their kids' future neuroses, Chua's article could be seen as rehabilitation for pushy moms all over the world. Here's the takeaway: quit complaining about your demanding mother, whether she's Chinese or American--today's nudging could translate into tomorrow's success!
Image by Flickr User Martin Pettitt, CC 2.0