Fathers and teenage daughters in Shanghai: Intimacy, gender and care

Abstract

Explicit display of emotion has not been a central part of fatherhood cultural norms in China. Historically a strict, emotionally remote and authoritarian father figure has been favored. Through a study of fathers and teenage daughters aged 13–17 conducted in Shanghai during 2008–2009, this paper explores the extent to which new norms and practices of emotionally involved or intimate fatherhood, emergent in Western societies, are present in Chinese families. The study adopts a mixed-method research design, which combines both quantitative and qualitative data: four focus groups, a questionnaire survey with girls (N = 773) and their fathers (N = 598), 17 semi structured interviews carried out separately with daughters and their fathers. The findings show that while mothers are the favored parent for the majority of the sample (91%), over 75% of the girls report feeling ‘close’ or ‘very close’ to their father. Interviews reveal the subtle manner in which Shanghai fathers and daughters display emotional closeness and create a special intimate relationship. There is little evidence of ‘pure relationships’ in the Giddens sense as fathers do not communicate with their daughters about their own lives. The findings provide new insights into the subjective experiences of Chinese fathers and daughters and illuminates how they negotiate between traditional and modern gender norms about fatherhood and manhood.

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