Contemporary British Chinese Parenting: Beyond Cultural Values

Within the available research, the British Chinese community is often portrayed as being culturally homogenous, with traditional values and practices remaining influential. Existing literature depicts Confucian and collectivist principles as remaining strong within the British Chinese family, which inevitably affects parenting approaches, parent-child relationships and childhood experiences. In this article, PhD research findings suggest that British Chinese parents’ own childhood experiences, the valuing of the parent-child relationship, as well as awareness and acceptance of Westernisation also contributes towards child-rearing practices in the UK. Based on multiple semi-structured interviews with a diverse set of twelve British Chinese parents, this article explores Chinese parenting of the past and those of the present day. By highlighting the complexity of modern Chinese parenting decisions, this article offers a more holistic account of British Chinese family life and adds to our current knowledge of UK Chinese households.