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Competition for Children's Education and other Resources is at an All Time High Among China's Middle Class

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Competition for Children's Education and other Resources is at an All Time High Among China's Middle Class

Phoenix Weekly,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

China’s middle-class parents are taking “keeping up with the Joneses” to another level.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

Yu Ye’s PhoenixWeekly article on Chinese parents’ heightened anxieties and extreme competitiveness in child-rearing matters spread like wildfire online. It must have struck a chord with people. In discussions of the article on the Chinese question-and-answer forum Zhihu, people mostly agreed that the article accurately described the current state of parenthood in China but believed the author could have used better examples to portray the phenomenon. Yu’s analysis buys into the cliché of the Chinese “tiger mom,” but even some Western parents might find the depictions of parental competitiveness vaguely familiar. getAbstract recommends this article to sociologists, economists, parents and parents-to-be.

Summary

China’s middle-class parents as well as expectant parents live in a state of constant anxiety. Many people in the country’s highly competitive environment have subscribed to the idea that “if you aren’t moving forward, you are falling behind.” The sentiment magnifies when it comes to child-rearing: Parents move heaven and earth to give their kids a head start in life.

The middle class is a relatively new and fast growing segment of China’s population and has far more access to wealth and resources than the working class. However, middle-class status doesn’t seem to provide parents with a feeling of comfort; success instead exacerbates the amount of pressure they feel. This is partly because the middle class is a broad category ...

About the Author

Yu Ye is a writer for Phoenix Weekly, which covers politics, current affairs, finance, business, social issues and culture.  

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