Model Minority or Global Middle Class?: Understanding the Parenting Strategies of People of Chinese Ethnic Identity in the UK

The history of Chinese migration to the UK extends over two centuries, from low numbers until mid-20th century, to significant growth with the Chinese restaurant boom of the 1950s-60s, and to large numbers of Chinese students in higher education institutions since the 1990s. People of Chinese ethnic identity are a numerical, social and political minority with limited visibility but notable for their educational achievement documented in national level statistics, whether in terms GCSE results or higher education enrollment rates. Situated in a long-standing debate about the Model Minority discourse in migration studies in the global North, this study unpacks possible mechanisms underlying the academic achievement patterns for the Chinese ethnic group in contemporary Britain. In particular, we address the inherent tension between cultural and structural arguments in this debate, namely the relative strength of particular cultural beliefs/values, or structural resources and mechanisms. We empirically answer this question by examining data on parenting values and behaviors from the 2009-10 wave of the UK Household Longitudinal Study, which includes an Ethnic Minority Booster Sample. We reveal that compared to the white majority and other ethnic groups, the Chinese are in general younger, largely first-generation immigrants, highly selected by educational attainment, and less settled in family-making. Among different ethnic minority groups, the Chinese do not report a significantly higher value on children's educational achievement, though the gap between them and the white majority remains notable. Further, results show that the Chinese as a group practice a parenting style characterized by sensitive, child-centric and warm, contrary to the 'tiger parenting/mothering' stereotype prevalent in pop culture. We contend that the overachievement of the Chinese minority in the UK is associated with conscientious and sensitive parenting to support children's development among a highly selected global middle class, rather than a specific set of 'Chinese' values.