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8 - Maternal Involvement in Children's Schooling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Susan D. Holloway
Susan D. Holloway
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
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Summary

I am not smart, so I can't teach my child like other mothers can.… I feel that I cannot do that. I feel that my child will have to do that by herself.

(Kayoko, middle school educated, low self-efficacy mother of two)

I read to him every night.… We go to the library every weekend and check out books.… I let him choose books himself. He chooses very quickly. It's really fun to do that.

(Masayo, college educated, high self-efficacy mother of two)

Having a brain is not necessary for girls, who will do housework and raise kids. I don't want girls to think about difficult things. I want my daughter to build up her body so that she can have many children. But I want to make my son study … For my daughter, education is the second priority. For my son, I value education.

(Hiromi, high school graduate, high self-efficacy mother of two)

The excerpts quoted at the beginning of this chapter illustrate how parents' education background affects their ability to help with their children's schooling. Kayoko, the least well-educated mother in our sample of 16, felt severely hampered in her ability to help her daughters with their schoolwork due to her own lack of schooling. Conversely, Masayo, a university graduate, not only felt confident helping with homework but also greatly enjoyed reading with her sons.

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Women and Family in Contemporary Japan , pp. 143 - 170
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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