Consumer Insight

China: Emerging
Parenting Concepts

Digital habits and a growing

understanding of the emotional side
of parenthood is redefining China's
little Mo & Co.

modern parenting beliefs.

Analysis
Pa r enting in China is a mix of tr a d itiona l
b eliefs a nd a mor e g lob a l outlook ma d e
p ossib le b y d ig ita l ed uca tion. Tha nks to
incr ea sing a w a r eness of the imp or ta nce of
p sycholog ica l w ell-b eing a nd the inter net
p r ov id ing a sa fe sp a ce for lea r ning , the
emotiona l sid e of p a r enting is now
r eceiv ing g r ea ter a ttention.
F a mily continues to b e a cor ner stone of
id entity in China ' s collectiv ist cultur e,
ma king p a r enting a ma jor sp end ing p r ior ity
for Chinese a d ults. Multi-g ener a tiona l
household s w her e g r a nd p a r ents help r a ise
the child r en a r e common. And a s
hig hlig hted in our r ep or t China : the F utur e
of Ed uca tion, ed uca tion sp end is top of
mind for p a r ents.
F ood sa fety concer ns r ema in a mong the
countr y' s w a tchd og consumer s. In Ja nua r y
2 018, B loomb er g r ep or ted tha t 1, 4 00 b a b y
for mula s ha d b een p ulled fr om shelv es d ue
to new cer tifica tion r eq uir ements.
Babytree WeTime app
Desp ite r ela xa tion of the one-child p olicy in
2 015, the b ir th r a te ha s fa llen. China Da ily
r ep or ted the countr y sa w 17. 2 3 million
b ir ths in 2 017, a YoY d r op in b ir ths of
6 30, 000 b a b ies.
The g r ow ing cost of hig her ed uca tion, the
r ise of ind iv id ua lism, d ela yed ma r r ia g e a nd
the fina ncia l b ur d en of p a r enthood a r e a ll
d r iv ing this tr end . In a 2 017 sur v ey of
w or king Chinese w omen, ca r eer p la tfor m
Zha op in found 6 2 . 7% of r esp ond ents d id n' t
w a nt a second child . The la cklustr e
r esp onse to r ela xed b ir th la w s ha s led to
the g ov er nment d iscussing fina ncia l
incentiv es.
This found a tiona l r ep or t on mod er n Chinese
p a r enting a ims to help your comp a ny b uild
b a seline know led g e a r ound this imp or ta nt
consumer g r oup a nd a v oid cultur a l
misund er sta nd ing s.
Culture primer
W h at i s p aren t i n g i n Ch i n a?
Althoug h DINK s (d oub le income no kid s)
ha v e b ecome socia lly a ccep ta b le in some
lib er a l Tier 1 cities, for the ma jor ity of
Chinese coup les ma r r ia g e mea ns
p a r enthood . This is in la r g e p a r t d ue to
cultur a l b eliefs a r ound filia l p iety a nd
p a r enthood r ep r esenting the fina l milestone
of " successful" a d ulthood .
Mul t i - g en erat i o n al f ami l i es
Coup les often p ur cha se their home w ith the
help of the husb a nd ' s p a r ents d ue to hig h
r ea l esta te p r ices, w hile multi-g ener a tiona l
homes a r e a common liv ing a r r a ng ement
ev en for p a r ents w ith mod est w ea lth. This
a r r a ng ement is a lso common a mong
a ffluent coup les in ma na g ement job s, d ue
to the need for tr ustw or thy a nd r elia b le
child ca r e.
St ay- at - h o me mums
Desp ite the socia l stig ma of b eing a sta y-a t-
home mum, the p r a ctice is on the r ise a s
mother s p r ior itise their child r en' s w ell-
b eing ov er their ca r eer s. Accor d ing to 2 017
d a ta fr om the Wor ld B a nk, 6 1% of Chinese
w omen p a r ticip a te in the la b our for ce,
jnby by JNBY
d ow n fr om 73% in 19 9 0. Online mother ' s
g r oup s a r e a lso on the r ise a s a n a ntid ote to
str ess a nd a liena tion.
P o st n at al care
A month of p ostna ta l ca r e inv olv ing r est
a nd a sp ecia l d iet is consid er ed a must for
a new mother ' s r ecup er a tion in China .
K now n a s " zuo yuezi" the p r a ctice includ es
luxur y ma ter nity hotels a nd a t-home d oula s
know n a s " yuesa o" . Mother s w ith mor e
mod est mea ns a r e ta ken ca r e of b y
extend ed fa mily. In Octob er 2 015, The New
Yor k Times r ep or ted tha t a month-long
ma ter nity ca r e sta y w a s fr eq uently costing
a n eye-w a ter ing $ 2 7, 000.
A yi
" Ayi" , mea ning " a untie" , is used to r efer to
clea ning la d ies a nd na nnies, b oth of w hich
a r e common a mong a ffluent a nd
a sp ir a tiona l mid d le cla ss fa milies.
Dep end ing on how much p a r ents tr ust their
child ca r e p r ov id er , a yi fr eq uently
a ccomp a ny child r en or w or k in ta nd em w ith
g r a nd p a r ents or p a r ents.
Parent types to know
B a sed on g eog r a p hy a nd socio-economic
sta tus her e a r e China ' s p a r ent typ es to
know .
Urb an el i t e
Esta b lished w hite colla r , mor tg a g e-fr ee
homeow ner s w ho a r e city na tiv es or a ffluent
tr a nsp la nts. In 2 014 , China Da ily r efer r ed to
this g r oup a s " The new S ha ng ha inese" . With
a hig her ed uca tion, inter na tiona l tr a v el a nd
d iscr etiona r y sp end ing p ow er , these
p a r ents' p a r enting styles a r e influenced b y
Thomas & Friends
a n incr ea sing ly g lob a l mind set, mixed w ith
d omestic cultur e a nd p r ior ities. Their
child r en' s futur e socia l sta tus is top of
mind .
Urb an asp i rat i o n al
White colla r p a r ents w hose p a r enting
d ecisions a r e str ong ly influenced b y
conv entiona l Chinese cultur e a nd b eliefs –
think p r ice insensitiv e ed uca tion sp end ing
a nd a str ong focus on the a ca d emic
success of their child . Hea lthy food ,
enr ichment cla sses a nd a ttend ing the r ig ht
school a r e a ll top p r ior ities for these
p a r ents.
Fischer-Price China
Lo wer t i er mi d d l e cl ass
With mor e d omestica lly-focused lifestyles
a nd slow er p a ce of life, low er tier (Tier 3
a nd b elow ) mid d le cla ss p a r ents v a lue
fa mily fir st a nd for emost. L ess socia lly
comp etitiv e tha n their ur b a n top tier p eer s,
p a r enting sp end is mod est.
Urb an b l ue co l l ar
B lue colla r p a r ents w ho ha v e mov ed to
China ' s top tier cities in sea r ch of b etter
emp loyment op p or tunities. They ma y w or k
in emer g ing ser v ice ind ustr ies a s log istics
cour ier s, ma id s or w a iting sta ff, or in the
countr y' s b ooming constr uction sector . Due
to ed uca tiona l " hukou" r esid ency
r estr ictions a nd their limited d iscr etiona r y
sp end ing p ow er , their child r en continue to
liv e in mor e a ffor d a b le r ur a l or low er tier
hometow n cities. Gr a nd p a r ents ser v e a s
p r ima r y ca r e g iv er s.
Met h o d o l o g y
WGS N' s seg menta tion is b a sed on
q ua lita tiv e cultur a l r esea r ch filter ed
thr oug h the q ua ntita tiv e g r oup ing of
McK insey & Comp a ny' s household income
g r oup ing s a nd p r ojections.
Emotionally aware parenting
Chinese p a r ents ha v e long held
p hysiolog ica l hea lth a nd ed uca tion a s top
p r ior ities for their child r en, w hile
p sycholog ica l need s w er e fr eq uently
ov er looked tha nks to the countr y' s often
a uthor ita r ia n-lea ning p a r enting style.
How ev er , this is now cha ng ing , la r g ely d ue
to the r ise of socia l med ia , w hich offer s a n
a nonymous sp a ce to b r ea k socia l
conv entions. Her e filia l p iety a nd sur fa ce
ha r mony ca n b e ig nor ed , ena b ling a d ults to
op enly d iscuss, exp r ess a nd a d d r ess the
long -ter m ha r m sha ming , ov er b ea r ing a nd
a b sentee p a r enting styles ca n ha v e on
emotiona l hea lth. This ha s help ed r a ise
a w a r eness a mong mod er n p a r ents of the
imp or ta nce of emotiona lly a w a r e p a r enting .
How ev er , the top ic r ema ins contentious. A
p op ula r g r oup r ep r esenting the mov ement
" Pa r ents a r e ha r mful" on socia l netw or king
site Doub a n is no long er sea r cha b le,
a lthoug h a q uestion p osted on Q&A w eb site
Zhihu a b out how to v iew the g r oup r ema ins
op en a nd ha s a ttr a cted mor e tha n 2 . 6 5
million v iew s.
jnby by JNBY
Ahea d of Chinese New Yea r 2 018, a
p sycholog ist w r iting und er a p seud onym
p ub lished a leng thy op en letter a b out the
tr a uma tic effects of his str ict up b r ing ing .
The Peking Univ er sity g r a d ua te d iscussed
the p sycholog ica l d a ma g e ca used b y his
contr olling p a r ents a nd his sub seq uent
estr a ng ement fr om them. The top ic' s
ha shta g ha s r eceiv ed mor e tha n 39 6 , 000
v iew s on S ina Weib o.
Among p a r ents a nd g r a nd p a r ents w ho a ct
a s ca r eg iv er s, ther e is incr ea sing
a w a r eness of the imp or ta nce their ow n
emotiona l w ell-b eing ha s on their a b ility to
b e p ositiv ely eng a g ed w ith the child r en.
The inter net is a g a in help ing to cha lleng e
cultur a l nor ms – the sla ng ter m " w id ow ed
p a r ent" a d d r esses the p r ob lem of a b sentee
fa ther s.
Gr a nd p a r ents a lso exp er ience a n und er -
r ep or ted r a te of d ep r ession a nd exha ustion
d ue to the p r essur e to b e a sta nd -in p a r ent,
a ccor d ing to a 2 017 fea tur e in The Wor ld of
Chinese, a ma g a zine sp ecia lising in in-
d ep th a na lysis of a sp ects of Chinese
cultur e.
“
"W H EN I W AS I N SC H O O L I W AS O FT EN

I SO L AT ED BEC AU SE M Y W O R DS AN D

DEEDS W ER E T O O M U C H L I K E M Y M U M ,

W H I C H DI SP L EASED T H O SE AR O U N D M E.

SADL Y, I R EAL I SED I W AS T H E C AU SE O F

T H E P R O BL EM , BU T I DI DN ' T K N O W H O W

T O C O MMU NI C AT E I N A NO R MAL WAY.

M AN Y M O T H ER S H O P E T O GI V E T H EI R

C H I L DR EN L O V E AN D FR EEDO M , BU T T H EY

DI D N O T H AV E A GO O D EXP ER I EN C E SO

T H EY DO N O T K N O W W H AT T H E

LANGU AGE O F LO VE I S."

Li Xue
Parenting wellness author and blogger
little Mo & Co.
Digital touch points
Accor d ing to Ip sos' Chinese F a mily Fami l y P o i n t s
Pa r enting R ep or t 2 016 , 84 % of Chinese The p a r enting e-commer ce p la tfor m is set
p a r ents r ely on w eb sites a nd a p p s for to la unch in China in 2 018. Using b lockcha in
infor ma tion on how to r a ise child r en. These to ensur e its r ev iew s a r e a uthentic, user s
a r e the top r esour ces to know : w ill b e a b le to collect ca shb a ck p oints they
ca n use tow a r d s ed uca tion content, w hich
Bab yt ree
w ill b e a v a ila b le in eig ht d iffer ent
China ' s lea d ing online p a r enting p la tfor m
la ng ua g es. Affor d a b le food , toys, b ooks,
a nd a p p ha s 2 00 million monthly a ctiv e
fur nitur e, a p p a r el, hyg iene p r od ucts a nd
user s. In 2 017, the comp a ny a nnounced it
str oller s w ill b e sold .
w ill exp a nd offline w ith d a yca r e centr es
a nd p la y a r ea s. The comp a ny ha s p a r tner ed
w ith Amer ica n toy g ia nt Ma ttel a nd is set to
la unch a n online p la tfor m offer ing ea r ly
ed uca tion cour ses.

P C Bab y
Pa r t of online content comp a ny PC Gr oup .
The w eb site a nd a p p cov er s p r eg na ncy,
p ostna ta l, ed uca tion, child nutr ition a nd
p a r enting .

PC Baby
Kidswear brands to know
Tha nks to hig h b r a nd a w a r eness in China ,
Ga p , H&M a nd Za r a a r e p op ula r choices
a mong ur b a n p a r ents w ho p r efer a ffor d a b le
inter na tiona l fa shion. Other p op ula r b r a nd s
includ e:
al l o & l ug h
Pa r t of S outh K or ea n fa shion g r oup Zer o to
S ev en, a llo & lug h sp ecia lises in clothing
for the fiv e-a nd -und er ma r ket. Av a ila b le a t
b r icks-a nd -mor ta r r eta il stor es, the b r a nd
a lso ha s its ow n Tma ll stor e.
Moomoo
Bal ab al a
L a unched in 2 002 , the b r a nd follow s the
d esig n ethos " sa me child hood , d iffer ent
style" . It p r od uces clothing , footw ea r a nd
a ccessor ies for b a b ies, child r en a nd
teena g er s. The comp a ny ha s ov er 189 , 4 00
follow er s on Weib o.
j n b y b y J NBY
JNB Y Gr oup ' s kid sw ea r la b el. The style is
contemp or a r y a nd und er p inned b y a
d esig n-led a esthetic. The b r a nd ha s a
follow ing of ov er 135, 4 00 on Weib o.
Mini Peace
l i t t l e Mo & Co .
Tr end y kid sw ea r a lig ned w ith p a r ent
comp a ny EPO F a shion' s ma r ket p ositioning .
The b r a nd ca n b e found a long sid e the
g r oup ' s w omensw ea r la b el Mo & Co. a t
b r icks-a nd -mor ta r r eta il stor es. On Weib o,
the la b el ha s ov er 6 6 , 800 follow er s.
Mi n i P eace
Pa r t of the Pea ceb ir d Gr oup . The kid sw ea r
b r a nd ' s style is mod er n, ener g etic a nd
tr end -for w a r d . The la b el w a s esta b lished in
2 011.
Mo o mo o
Meter sb onw e Gr oup ' s a ffor d a b le kid sw ea r
b r a nd – sold a long sid e its na mesa ke b r a nd ,
Meter sb onw e. The r eta iler a lso ha s a mor e
p a r ed b a ck child r en' s b r a nd , Me & City
kid s.
Action points
– Chinese p a r enting concep ts a nd p a r ent
typ es a r e cultur a lly d iffer ent to the
West' s. Consid er w ha t this mea ns for the
loca lisa tion of your b r a nd ' s p r od uct offer
or ser v ice.

– Althoug h the imp or ta nce of the child ' s

emotiona l w ell-b eing is on the r ise,
b r a nd s should b e w a r y a r ound ma king
socia l commenta r y on the touchy sub ject
of p a r enting . Ma r keting should instea d
encour a g e ca r eg iv er s to p r a ctice self
ca r e in or d er to b e mor e emotiona lly
eng a g ed w ith their child r en.

– Ma r keting a r ound ed uca tiona l content

should hig hlig ht the b enefits
p sycholog ica l w ell-b eing in child hood ha s
on success in a d ulthood .

– Accor d ing to Unicef, 6 1% of Chinese

new b or ns liv e in r ur a l a r ea s. Often the
child r en of ur b a n b lue colla r p a r ents
w or king in the city, this is a n und er ser v ed
d emog r a p hic. Chinese New Yea r is the
la r g est huma n mig r a tion on Ea r th a nd
p r esents hug e op p or tunities to r ea ch this
seg ment.

Milk B
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