Understanding the Influence of the Father Roles in Contemporary Chinese Two-Parent Families on Young People’s Educational Experiences

Although Chinese society traditionally emphasises fathers as financial providers and moral authorities in the family, in recent years, social transformation and gender norms shifts means that fathers are increasingly expected to provide emotional support and be involved in educational activities. However, the reconstruction of the father role is not a homogeneous process, influenced by social class, gender norms, and policy orientations. This study explores the construction and practice of father roles in contemporary Chinese two-parent families, and how these fatherhood practices influence young people’s educational experience. Through tracing retrospective and reflective narratives from fathers and their children (young people aged between 20-30 years), this study captures the shifting roles of fathers in educational contexts and reveals how fathers’ involvement shapes young people’s educational experiences over an extended timeframe. Meanwhile, this study innovatively explains the impact of fathers’ involvement on intergenerational mobility and educational inequality from a life-course perspective, which provides new theoretical insights and empirical evidence for understanding contemporary Chinese family education practices. This study employs an interpretivist qualitative research approach, focusing on the dual perspectives of fathers and their children. Through semi-structured interviews with 18 father-child dyads, the study reveals the diverse practices of fatherhood and their impact on children’s educational experiences. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of capital and the concept of habitus, this study analyses how fatherhood practices are reproduced in intergenerational interactions, while incorporating Connell’s theory of masculinity to explore how fathers negotiate their gender identity and educational responsibilities in contemporary Chinese context. This study reveals that contemporary fathers’ understanding of their role in children’s education is shifting from traditional breadwinner to emotional companion and educational participant, which is, however, influenced by their own upbringing experiences, educational backgrounds, gender norms, and family responsibility divisions. Many fathers demonstrated tension and negotiation in role practice, strategically balancing between pei masculinity and yang masculinity to construct diverse fatherhood practices integrating authority and intimacy. This study also indicates that socioeconomic status, educational background, and gender identity shape the ways fathers are involved. Middle-class fathers tended to be more conscious of educational strategies and able to use institutional resources and cultural capital to engage in their children’s education. Fathers from working-class and low-income backgrounds, however, often focused on providing for their children’s basic needs and behavioural discipline. Meanwhile, young people’s understanding and expectations of the father role not only carried on traditional functions but also tended to be reconstructed across generations. They gradually emphasise the importance of emotional connection, equal communication, and educational support. This study finds that father involvement significantly influences young people’s educational aspirations, academic confidence, and self-identity, and the quality of father-child relationships is seen as an important mediator connecting the father role with educational experiences. Particularly across different social backgrounds, young people expressed diverse expectations for the ‘ideal father’ image, revealing the tensions and negotiations of fatherhood practices in contemporary Chinese family structures and cultural contexts. This study expands theoretical understandings of father roles in educational contexts by revealing the classed and gendered dimensions of fatherhood practices in China, punctuating Western ‘new fatherhood’ discourse and avoiding simplifying Chinese fatherhood as a binary opposition between tradition and modernity. The findings provide new insights into the family mechanisms for understanding educational inequality in China, while suggesting practical implications for policymakers in advancing gender equality and strengthening family education support systems.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Honglei Luo (21042155)

• Father Involvement
• Masculinity
• Chinese Fatherhood
• Educational Experiences

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Identifier

10779/exe.32274231.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32274231