Parenting goals and perceived shared and non-shared agency among kirogi mothers of a youth

Abstract

This study examined the parenting goals and practices of Korean transnational mothers (referred to as ‘kirogi’) in order to understand how parents are preparing youth for success within a world of increasing globalization. Data are based on a cross-sectional convenience sample of Korean mothers (M age = 45.88) accompanying their youth (M age = 15.72) in the US and in NZ (N = 153). Results indicated that mothers rated youth’s educational/occupational self-development and humanistic life goals to be as important as educational/occupational achievement. Self-development and humanistic life goals were also found to be the most correlated to parenting strategies that accommodate youth, which, in turn, was the most predictive of outcomes. Discussion focuses on how globalization allows for parents with resources to find opportunities outside of their home country to achieve their parenting goals and to allow their youth to self-regulate their schoolwork successfully.

Keywords:

• Parenting goals
• parental accommodation
• shared agency
• kirogi
• transnationalism
• split-family households
• Asian parenting
• life goals