Meaning in Parenting and Why it Matters

The central premise of this article is that parental choices are influenced by economic factors and associated cultural values. Intensive parenting repertoires such as helicopter parenting have come to the fore as social mobility has stalled and economic pressures resulting from neo liberal policies have increased. As a result child rearing has become more of a technical craft than a fulfilling act. Seeking a meritocratic bulwark against increasing inequality parenting has been recast as a technocratic approach to the rearing of successful offspring. Investing in children has become more technical and politicised in order to meet the demands of globalisation. This chapter provides a road map for a realignment of child rearing practices directed towards sustaining the value of parenting as a common good and a source of wellbeing.