Factors Influencing Parenting and Caring Relationships

From Biki

Contents 1 Factors influencing parenting and caring relationships 1.1 Age 1.2 Culture and Religion 1.3 Education 1.4 Gender 1.5 Previous Experiences/Own upbriging 1.6 Socioeconomic Status 1.7 Media 1.8 Nature of Relationship 1.9 Style of Parenting 1.9.1 Authoritarian 1.9.2 Democratic 1.9.3 Permissive/indulgent 1.9.4 Negligent 1.10 Special Needs 1.11 Multiple Role Expectations as a result of commitments to: 1.11.1 Family 1.11.2 Work 1.11.3 Sport/leisure 1.11.4 Other

Factors influencing parenting and caring relationships

Age

• The age of the parents may affect the types of values taught to the children
• The age of the children will affect the style of parenting
• The older the parents the more chance of them being financially stable
• A teenage parent will have less knowledge about parenting or caring

Culture and Religion

• Cultures and religions have their own forms and ways of parenting and caring
• Parents holding onto strict traditions and values can cause conflict with the child
• Inter cultural marriages or marriages between two cultures can cause conflict as there is differences in parenting styles and values
• A person from one culture/religion caring for a person from another culture/religion can find it difficult as they may have different expectations and standards.
• Some cultures expect their children to care for them when they become older
• In some cultures older brothers and sisters have to care for their younger siblings
• Religion can affect the parents decisions and can affect the families lifestyle

Education

• Parents or carers with higher educations tend to research parenting or caring techniques independently
• Parents or carers who take education classes about their role will have the knowledge of skills or techniques to care for the other person
• Often education on parenting and caring comes from informal support networks
• The value a parent places on education will be the way in which they influence their child to become educated
• The way a parent was educated could reflect in the way that they encourage their child to be educated. Eg. Going to uni.

Gender

• When setting limits males and females are often treated differently by their parents
• A mother may not be able to relate to their son, or father to daughter
• The gender of the child affects how the child is raised and the relationship they will have with their parents/carer
• Parents/carers can have expectations of what males or females behave
• Females may be expected to be the child raiser and the male the breadwinner
• More females are carers than males

Previous Experiences/Own upbriging

• Parents may base their parenting on their parent’s parenting
• Child abuse is often cyclic
• Parents may continue the gender roles from their own upbringing
• A parent may parent their child to protect them from some of their own bad experiences in life Eg. Bankruptcy
• A parent may want their child to live the same life they did
• If you have been cared for before than that experience can influence the way you would care for somebody else

Socioeconomic Status

• Affects the standard of living, level of income, occupation, place of residence and level of education
• Someone with a low SES may need to work longer hours which will affect the bonding time which they have with their children
• Someone with low SES may not be able to provide for all of their children’s needs and wants and can then cause conflict
• SES is often cyclical
• Income determines the resources used to maintain relationships Eg. Family holidays
• A carer may need to become a carer as they have a low SES and cannot afford formal care

Media

• The media can establishes social norms which can affect the way in which parents or carers believe that they have to act or be
• Messages or education about parenting can come from the media
• Commercials place importance on material good and can then influence the parents to believe that they have to provide these things for families
• The media can be a barrier in communication in families. Eg. The television occupies the children and they do not communicate with parents
• Children can gain expectations of what it is to be a parent from the media and can cause conflict that there own parents are different
• The media can expose the child to material goods which they believe they must have can this can cause conflict with the parent

Nature of Relationship

• The nature of the relationship between parents and carers can affect their relationship due to the family structure: step-parents etc, age difference, parenting styles, bonding between parents and children, how the parents show their love for their children (Eg openly or not at all)
• A carer’s relationship with the person they are caring for can affect their relationship. Eg. If it is a daughter caring for a mother or two strangers

Style of Parenting

• Parenting styles are influenced by culture, own upbringing, religion, media, family, friends and societal expectations
• The style of parenting can cause conflict between the child and parent especially if the child is a teenager and the parent parents the child strictly and the child is unable to gain independence

Authoritarian

• Involves one or both parents making all of the decisions and rules
• Parents instruct and direct the behaviour of their children
• Children must meet their parents expectations or they are punished
• Children are rarely praised for good behaviour
• Children may be reluctant to discuss problems with their parents as they may fear the consequences or the child may rebel

Democratic

• Allows all family members to have equal rights and participate in decision making
• When reaching a decision all view/opinions are considered, a vote or compromise will then be reached
• There is encouragement for children to make decisions and take responsibility for their actions
• Parents who use this style trust their children and allow them to discuss any issues

Permissive/indulgent

• Parents exercise little control over their children
• Parents place only few demands on children and address them with little responsibilities
• There is no system for decision making and children do not learn how to make decisions
• Children can become self-indulgent, self-centered, rebellious or disobedient
• The child may feel that they can not talk to their parents or their parents don’t care about them

Negligent

• Parents fail to take responsibility for their child’s actions and behaviour
• No love or concern for the child’s behaviour is expressed
• The child may become disobedient, aggressive, or show no concern for others
• DOCS take children away from homes where they experience neglect

Special Needs

Illness & Disability

• Will require extra time, money, effort and attention from the parent or carer
• Child or those cared for can feel dependant and can therefore be frustrated
• It may cause a carer or parent to become overprotected and can cause conflict
• An parent with special needs may not be able to spend as much time with their children as they may feel sick or tired most of the time
• Other children in the family without special needs may feel neglected
• Caring for someone with special needs can be more demanding and can have more of a negative affect on the carer

Multiple Role Expectations as a result of commitments to:

Family

Work

Sport/leisure

Other

Church and community groups

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