Parents invest heavily in their kids, expecting something back: financial support in old age, prestige to raise the family name, or growing the faith. But modern life brims with delicious temptations! As teens forge new friendships and explore the web, they’re vulnerable to ideological persuasion and deviation.
How do families secure their desired returns? Many cultures glorify filial piety as a sacred duty, instil religious devotion, and arrange marriages to align values.
But what happens when religious conservatives migrate to liberal economies? Parents now face an ‘honour-income trade-off’: protect cherished culture or urge their children to assimilate and chase materialism.
This essay explores the struggles of parenting in the modern age. Drawing on fantastic new studies as well as my own qualitative research across India and the UK, it presents a novel theory of cultural persistence and integration.
