Understanding Context and Culture in the Parenting Approaches of Immigrant South Asian Mothers

Abstract

This qualitative study of the parenting approaches of immigrant South Asian Canadian mothers found that character formation and identity formation were the mothers' key goals of parenting. Internalized cultural values, beliefs, and norms and external factors related to their social context and environment, such as collectivism, dual socialization, and environmental stress, guided the mothers' approaches to parenting. Social service providers need to be aware that racial-minority mothers think through their approaches to parenting to respond to social contexts that have negative consequences for their children and should include this understanding in their provision of services.