Gap between China's urban and rural parenting styles narrows: Survey

GUANGZHOU -- The parenting levels of China's rural families have gradually improved, which indicates that the gap between the urban and rural parenting ideas and ways is narrowing, according to a recent survey.

The survey conducted by data100.com interviewed more than 1,500 respondents from 172 townships of eight provinces in China.

The result showed that in these sample townships of the survey, parents pay 1,476 yuan ($214.8) each month on average to raise a baby under three years old, not much lower than that of 1,562 yuan in county-level cities and 1,661 yuan in provincial capitals.

With regard to the choice of child-rearing products, the gap between urban and rural families is also gradually narrowing. Data from the survey suggests that 23.8 percent of rural parents told stories to their children, which was lower than over 30 percent of the interviewees in cities. However, the number of children's books owned by each rural family with children has reached 8.1, which is equal to the number in county-level cities.

This survey also reflects some problems of rural child rearing in the process of urbanization. Rural families still have more burdens to raise children. On average, respondents in townships spend 47.7 percent of their family incomes on a child aged 0-36 months.

Most of the rural interviewees hope their townships will attract more pediatricians to better serve their children's medical needs, according to the survey.