Against the context of industrialization and modernization, there are changes in family structure/form and functioning. These changes, together with the emergence of the concepts of ‘childhood’ and ‘motherhood,’ have tremendous impacts on the ideal of parenthood and parenting practices. Such ideal and practices are subsequently challenged in a postindustrial/post-modern era. This course seeks to provide sociological perspectives to
understanding parenting in a variety of social, cultural, and historical contexts, which will enable students to make sense of parenting practices in Hong Kong. The implications of such parenting practices for social inequality and social development will also be discussed.