Are mothers of sons more traditional? The influence of having son(s) and daughter(s) on parents’ gender ideology

Abstract

Gender and gender ideology have gained increasing attention from researchers in contemporary social sciences. In recent years, some research evidence also indicates that children can affect parents’ social value and social attitudes. Based on the sample from CGSS2013 data (N = 8339), this study aims to explore whether children’s gender can influence the gender ideology of their parents. Results show that the number of children can significantly influence the gender ideology of their parents, especially for mothers. The influence of having son(s) on parents’ gender ideology is significantly moderated by the gender of parents. For mothers, having son(s) can significantly enhance their identity for traditional disposition of gender ideology. The findings help understand the relationship between children’s gender and their parents’ gender ideology in China.