Comparative study of parenting styles in the United States and Arab countries

Arab parenting has historically been perceived as more authoritarian than American parenting. This study compares the parenting attitudes and childrearing practices of Arab parents to those of American parents with special attention to factors that influence parental values, such as social class, education, and religion. In addition, it is important to explore where these factors are similar or different in American and Arab societies, and to what degree they affect childrearing. This issue deserves attention because parental values are significant in determining the behavior of both parents and children, now and into the future. This study helps to increase cross-cultural understanding and raise awareness about the importance of parenting style to modern Arab societies. The data used in this study is from World Value Survey (WVS) WAV 4 (1999-2004) (N=9250). In general, I fined that child obedience is more greatly valued among Arab respondents, and that the importance of God in people's lives is linked to more traditional parental values in both the U.S. and Arab societies.