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Abstract
Much of the literature regarding the experience of Chinese American women suggests that traditional cultural values relegate women to a lower status in their families and communities due to their gender. This study examined whether these attitudes continue to be fostered in the upbringing of contemporary Chinese American women, and how such attitudes may or may not affect their self-concept.
Sixty-one Chinese American women were administered the Adjective Check List (ACL), the California Inventory of Family Assessment (CIFA) and other instruments measuring traditional upbringing and identification with one's parents. In addition, a subsample of 18 women were interviewed to further illuminate the aggregate findings.
Results showed that while traditional attitudes continue to persist in the upbringing of contemporary Chinese American women, these attitudes do not appear to affect their self-concept in a significant way. Rather, negative self-concepts were more likely to be found in youngest-born children who had been subjected to harsh parenting and unsupportive sibling relationships. Women with the most positive self-concepts were more likely to be oldest-born children with supportive sibling relationships. Supportive sibling relationships and oldest-child type responsibilities appeared to mitigate the effects of harsh parenting and contribute to a positive self-concept, regardless of one's birth position. An interesting finding of the study was that women with the most positive self-concepts had not been encouraged to succeed when they were young, and tended to de-identify with their harsh or passive mothers.
The study also found that age of migration may affect one's self-concept. Chinese girls who immigrated between ages 3 and 6 were more likely to develop a negative self-concept compared to girls who had immigrated at other ages. It may be that the emergence of identity at age 2, coupled with the stress of immigration on both child and parents may make it difficult for the adult members of the family to tend to a young child's emotional well-being.
These findings highlight the importance of supportive family relationships as well as family roles in the development of self-concept for Chinese American women. Suggestions for future research include the role of outside community organizations, such as clubs or religions, which may provide alternate forms of support for a young girl who is not receiving any support from her family. Treatment implications are also discussed and include the importance of addressing parental stress, facilitating self-efficacy, and enhancing sibling cohesion.
