ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

RunningHead:PARENTALINFLUENCEONOFFSPRING

ParentalInfluenceonOffspringsChoices
CherifChokeir
RHET1020

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

Tomydearparentswhotaughtmealot,
yetfromwhomIstillneedtolearnmoreandmore

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

Acknowledgements

IwouldliketothankDr.HodaGrantforhersupportduringthewholesemester,andforher
patiencewithus.Shereallytaughtustheresearchwritingjourney.Iwouldalsoliketothankmy
classmatesforthesupportandadviceduringtheresearchstudy.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

TableofContents
Abstract.5
Introduction...6
LiteratureReview..8
Methodology.21
EthicalStandards..21
Sample..21
Instrument.23
Results...24
Discussion..37
Conclusion..43
References..45
Appendices..47
AppendixA..47
AppendixB..52

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

Abstract
Oneofthemostimportantsocialrelationshipsistheparentoffspringrelationasitis
directlyinvolvedineveryonespersonallife.Itisinterestingtodiscusstheeffectofparentson
theiroffspringsdecisionsbecausethiswouldenablepeopletounderstandmorethereasons
behindtheirchoicesandthereforeconsiderthesedifferentreasonswhiletakingtheirdecisions.
Despitethefactmanyresearchstudiesaboutthetopicwereconductedindifferentpartsofthe
world,fewstudiesexaminedthecaseoftheEgyptiansociety.Thispapertendstodiscusstowhat
extentdoEgyptianparentsaffecttheirchildren'schoices.Themajortrendintheliteraturewas
theexistenceofaparentalinfluenceontheoffspringsdecisionsinthreemaindomainsoflife:
thechoiceofeducationalpaths,thechoiceofacareerorjobandtheselectionofmateor
marriagepartner.Theliteratureshoweddifferencesintheparentalinfluenceonoffspringacross
cultures,agegroupsanddomainoflife.Throughanonlinequestionnairefilledoutby69
participants,theresearcherinvestigatedthedegreeofparentalinfluenceontheoffsprings
choicesinthosedomainsoflife.Theresultsshowedthat,oppositetowhatwasfoundinthe
literature,thereisalessdegreeofparentalinfluenceamongtheEgyptiansocietythaninother
countriesstudiedintheliterature,butalsothatEgyptianoffspringsconsidertheirparentsas
guidesandimportantadvisorstodiscusswiththeirmajorproblemsanddecisions.Thisresearch
studyisconsistentwiththeideaofvariationofparentalinfluenceacrosscultures.Furthermore,it
showssomesimilaritiesofperceptionswithmanydifferentcountrieswhichrevealthatdespite
thedifferenceincultures,socialrelationshipslikeparentoffspring,aremajorcharacteristicsof
thehumannature.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

Introduction

Oneofthemaincharacteristicsofhumankindisitstendencytosocializewithother
humans.AntoinedeSaintExupry(Frenchwriter)saidManisaknotintowhichrelationships
aretied(1942).Thehumanssocialrelationshipsarestrongtiesthatexplainmuchofthe
affectionahumanusuallyshowtootherhumans.
Furthermore,someofthesocialrelationshipsarestrongerthanothers,andtherefore,need
specialstudyandconsideration.Oneusuallytendstocontemplateandadmirethespecialcaseof
thefamily,andmorespecificallytheparentoffspringrelationship,intermsofsocialrelations.In
fact,thefamilyisthesmallestcellthatconstitutesthesociety.Therefore,itisimportanttostudy
thereasonsanddynamicsoftheparentchildrelationshipandhowitaffectsbothsides.Infact,
childrenaredirectlyorindirectlyaffectedbytheirenvironment,whichmighthaveanimpacton
theirperspectivesandviewsonlife.
Duringthechildhoodandadolescence,anoffspringoftenseeksadvicefromthe
surroundingpeople,andtrytohavesomerolemodels,inordertogethelpinthedecisionmaking
process.Parentsareoftenconsideredasguidestotheiroffspringduringtheirlives.However,the
degreeofthechildscompliancetotheadvicegivenbytheparentsmightvaryaccordingtothe
personality,thecircumstancesandtheage.Therefore,itisimportanttounderstandhowfardo
parentsaffecttheirsonsanddaughtersintheirdecisionmakingprocess.Apossibleexplanation

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

ofthetermparentalinfluenceontheoffspringschoiceswouldbetheimpactofparental
opinions,strategiesandviewsontheprocessofdecisionmakingofanoffspring.

Theimportanceofthetopicledtovariouscasestudiesthatwereintendedtoidentifythe
degreeofparentalcontrolandeffectontheirchildrenchoices.Thesestudiesshowedthe
presenceofanimportantparentalimpactonthethedecisionsandchoicesmadebytheir
descendants,andthatthereisavariationofthisinfluenceacrosscultures,agegroupsanddomain
oflife.Nevertheless,fewofthesestudieswereconductedamongtheEgyptiansociety.The
purposeofthisstudyistofillinthisgapbyinvestigatingtheextenttowhichEgyptianparents
influencetheiroffspringschoicesinthreemaindomainsoflife:career,educationandsociallife.
Thehypothesisthatparentshaveanimportantroleintheirchildrensdecisionmakingwouldbe
testedamongtheEgyptiansociety.
Byidentifyingthedegreeofparentsimpactonthedecisionsmadebytheirchildrenin
theEgyptiansociety,thisresearchwouldhelptounderstandmoretheparentoffspring
relationshipinthissociety.Furthermore,itwouldinterpretthedecisionstheoffspringtakes
duringlifeandthiswouldhelpbothEgyptianchildrenandparentstofindoutmoreaboutwhat
theoppositesideneedsandthinkofduringthedecisionmakingprocessthataffectsthewhole
family.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

LiteratureReview
Therearemanydomainsoflifewheretheyounggenerationsneedtotakedecisionsand
chooseamongseveralalternatives.Duringthedecisionmakingprocessmanyfactorsmight
affectthechildschoice,includingparentsthatcouldaffectthechildsperceptionofthechoices.
Thestudyoftheparentalinfluenceonchildrenschoicesisthereforeacrucialtopicasithelpsto
understandtheeffectofparentoffspringrelationshipontheviewschildrenhaveoftheir
decisionsandhowcouldparentsleadtoacertainchoiceratherthananother.Furthermore,itis
importanttofindinwhichparticularfieldsoflifedoparentalinfluenceisoftenvisibleandwhich
factorsleadtosuchinfluences.Literatureoffersavarietyofdomainsinwhichparentalinfluence
onthechildschoiceisoftendiscussed.Whilesomeresearchstudies(Museus,2013)examined
theeffectofparentsontheirchildrenschoicesofeducationalpaths,others(Otto,2000Saleem
etal2013)discussedtheroleparentstakeinthedevelopmentoftheirchildrenscareerplanning.
Furthermore,otherresearchers(Buunketal,2010Apostolou,2013)showedthatparental
influencecouldbealsovisibleinsocialchoicesoftheiroffspring.Althoughtheliterature
providesmanyexamplesandcasestudiesofparentalinfluenceintheabovementionedfields,
therearefewstudiesthathavebeenconductedtomeasureparentalinfluenceonchildreninthe
Egyptiansociety.Theresearchanticipatesthattherearedifferentdomainsoflifeinwhich
parentsinfluencetheyounggenerationsdecisionsintheEgyptiansociety.Thedegreeof
influenceisalsoexpectedtovaryaccordingtothepersonalityandsocioeconomicbackground
ofthesubject.Toexaminethissupposition,twelvesourcesarepresentedandshowthatthe
literaturetendstoshowthatthereisarealparentalinfluenceonchildrenschoicesinsome
specificdomainsoflife.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

Manyresearchstudieshavebeenconductedinordertomeasuretheparentalinfluenceon
theoffspringschoicesinmanydomainsoflife.Someofthesestudiesfocusedontheparental
effectonthedescendant'sdecisionsabouteducationalpaths.Furthermore,theyexamined
whetherparentsareinvolvedinthechildschoiceofacertainmajororfieldofstudy.Kerckhoff
andHuff(1974)examinedtherelationshipbetweenthecomplianceofparentsandtheirchildren
onthelatterseducationalgoalsandthedegreeofparentalinfluenceontheyounggeneration.At
thattime,therewasatrendintheliteraturethatshowedapositivecorrelationbetweenthe
agreementoneducationalgoalsandparentaleffectontheirchildren.Toinvestigatethistrend,
th
th
theauthorsformedsubsamplesof12
and9
gradesyoungboysfromschoolinIndiana,United

States,andconductedinterviewswiththeirparents.Theresearchincluded76familiesfromthe
th
th
12
gradesubsampleand67familiesfromthe9
gradesubsample.Theinterviewsintendedto

findtherelationshipbetweenthechildsachievementsandperceptionsandtheparentsviews
abouttheyoungpeopleeducationalcareerinordertomeasureparentalinfluenceonthechildren.
Theresponsestotheinterviewsshowedthatapossibleharmonybetweentheparentsandthe
childrenseducationalgoalscouldnotbetotallyexplainedbyacompleteparentalinfluence.The
th
youngerboysofthe9
gradeshowedahigherparentalinfluence,thatwasrepresentedbythe
th
factthatchildrenlookattheirparentsasmodelsforgoalsdetermination,than12
gradestudents

andthedatadidntapprovethesuggestionthattheharmonybetweenparentsandchildrens
educationalgoalsdependsonthenatureoftherelationparentoffspring.Althoughthisresearch
showedaninterestingoppositiontothetrendintheliteraturethatproposedahighdegreeof
parentalinfluenceonthechildrenseducationalgoalsitdidntstudyallexternalfactorsinvolved

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

10

inthedevelopmentofbothparentalandoffspringsperceptionsabouteducationalgoals.The
researchersexaminedtheeffectofsomefactorslikesocioeconomicstatusorintelligenceofthe
child,buttheydidntincludefactorsliketheparentsownfieldofstudynordiditstudythe
differencesbetweenpaternalandmaternalperceptions.Thisresearchisinterestingin
relationshipwiththestudybutitdoesntpresentparentalinfluenceonolderoffspring,like
teenagersforexample,whichshouldbecoveredinthecurrentstudy.

AlthoughWorkman(2015)studiedthesametopic,parentalinfluenceonyoung
generations,theresearcherconcentratedthestudyonaquitedifferentsample,freshman
universitystudents,examiningparentaleffectontheirselectionofcollege,majorstudyand
choicesofjobpaths.Theresearcherformedasampleof12students,6freshmenand6
sophomoresfromMidwesternUniversity,intheUnitedStatesinordertocombineactualand
pastperceptionsonthephaseofexplorationoftheuniversityandthechoiceofmajor.The
methodusedinthisresearchisquitesimilarsimilartothatusedbyKerckhoffandHuff(1974):
theresearcherconductedsemistructuredinterviewsinordertoinvestigatechoicesexperiences
ofstudents.AsanoppositiontotheresultsobtainedbyKerckhoff&Huff(1974),thisstudy
showedthatmanystudentsbelievedtheirparentshadanimportantinfluenceontheirchoicesand
decisions,supportingtheirenrollmentinthesameuniversityasthefamily,butalsoinsome
casescarryingapressureontheoffspringtotheactionofchoosingamajorinsteadofremaining
undeclared.Theconclusionofthestudywasthatparentalinfluencesonchildren,positiveor
negative,stronglyaffectsthechoicesthestudentsmakeabouttheircareerandmajor.This
oppositionbetweenthefindingsofWorkman(2015)andKerckhoffandHuff(1974)isquite

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

11

interesting.Infact,thedifferencesinagebetweenthesamplesofthetwostudiesshowthatthe
parentalinfluenceonchildrenschoiceofcertaineducationalpathshighlyincreasewithage.But
sinceKerckhoffandHufffoundthatthereisahighparentalinfluenceonthe9thgradestudents,
itisratherimportanttonoticethatparentalinfluenceonchildrenseducationcouldbemore
presentinthecrucialphasesofeducationliketheatthechoiceofadomain(scientificorliterary)
inthe9thegradeorthechoiceofamajoratthebeginningoftheuniversitywherethemajor
actuallyshapesonescareer.However,Workmandidntdiscussthecaseswherethestudent
changedthemajorofstudyandtherelationshipbetweenthesecasesandparentalinfluence.This
ideashouldbecoveredinthisstudy.

Fromanotherperspective,otherresearchersexaminedparentalinfluenceoneducational
pathsoftheyoungchildrenamongethnicminorities.Museus(2013)discussedtheformsof
parentalinfluencesontheacademicpathsofyoungSoutheastAsianAmerican(SEAA)children.
Examiningthetrendintheliteraturethatparentsoftenaffectedthechildrenseducationalpaths
inSEAAfamilies,theresearcherformedasnowballsampleof34undergraduateSEAAstudents
fromdifferentuniversitiesacrosstheUnitedStatesandusedaquestionnaireanda
semistructuredinterviewinordertoaskthestudentsabouttheireducationalbackground,their
motivationsandthereasonsbehindtheiracademicachievements.Theanalysisoftheresponses
showeddifferenttypesofparentalimpactonSEAAchildren.Theinterviewsshowedthatthe
academicachievementofthestudentswaseasedbysomepositiveandeffectiveparentalimpact
likepredictionsparentshadabouttheirchildrensinvolvementinstudying,theprinciplesand
culturalvaluesoftheparentsandfinallywhatparentsenduredinorderfortheiroffspringto

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12

succeed.Althoughtherewereinsomecasesapressurefromtheparentstochooseacertain
majorevenifthestudentisntcapableofit,thereweresometimessomeinternalmotivationsfor
thestudents.IftheseresultswerecomparedwiththeresultsofWorkman(2015)andKerckhoff
andHuff(1974),theconclusionthatcouldbedrawnisthatparentalinfluenceonthechildrens
educationalpathsandthereforealsoacademicachievementcouldhighlydifferthroughdifferent
culturesandwithindifferentsituations.Infactwithinethnicminoritiesandmoregenerally
withinfamilieswithloweconomicstatus,parentalinfluencecouldbemorepresentandeffective.
Infact,parentsofminoritystudentswouldratherinfluencetheirchildreninordertochoosea
majorthatwouldbringthemhighincomes.Theculturalvaluesandminoritiesachievementsare
alsofactorsthatareinvolvedintheparentalinfluenceonchildrenseducationandthelatters
successintheirstudies.Bycomparingthesedifferentstudiesandtheirresults,itispossibleto
mentionthatthereisapresenceofaparentalinfluenceontheiroffspringschoicesof
educationalpaths.Butitisimportanttomentionthatthisinfluencevariesaccordingtothe
offspringsage,tothesocioeconomicsituationofthefamilyandmoregenerallytothecultural
beliefsofthefamilyanditsperceptionabouttheparentsroleintheiroffspringseducational
life.

Anotherandimportantdomainoflifewhereparentalinfluenceontheoffspring's
decisionsisusuallystudiedintheliteratureisthechoiceofcareerorjob.Someoftheseresearch
studiesfocusedontheoffspringsperceptionoftheparentalinfluence.Otto(2000)examinedthe
linkbetweenhowyoungpeoplebehaveintermsofcareerplanningandtherelationship
parentoffspring.Theresearcherwantedtoanalyzetheyoungpeoplesviewsaboutparental

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

13

influenceonthedevelopmentofcareerplanning.Theresearcherformedastratifiedsampleof
371juniorstudentsfromsixdifferenthighschoolsintheStateofNorthCarolina.Usinga
questionnairethatwasdistributedduringclasstime,theauthoraskedthestudentsmany
questionsabouttheirviewontheircareerplanningandtheirrelationwiththeirparents.The
resultsshowedthat46%wereconvincedthattheirviewaboutthetypeofcareertheyshould
choosewasmainlyidenticaltothatoftheirparents.Italsoshowedanimportantcontributionof
themotherintermsofparentalinfluence54%wereconvincedthatmothersknewmoreaboutthe
careeradvantagesandoffersand75%thinktheirmothersaremorebeneficialtothemintermsof
careerplanningthantheirfather.Theresearcherconcludedthatparentsandspecificallymothers
arecareerguidesfortheyounggenerationforwhichtheresultsshowedahighlikelihoodto
speakmoreandmoreaboutthecareerplans.Thesefindingsarequiteinterestingsincethey
showedaharmonybetweenoffspringsandparentsviewsaboutcareerplanning.However,this
researchdidntpresentsufficientinformationonparentalinfluenceoncareerpathsforuniversity
studentswhichcouldbemoreeffectiveandimportant.Thecurrentresearchshouldfillinthisgap
byprovidingsomeinformationonparentalinfluenceamonguniversitystudentsintheEgyptian
society.

Otherresearchstudies,likeTzineretal(2012)focusedontheeffectoftheparentchild
relationshiponthelatterscareerchoice.Thetrendintheliteraturewasthatthereisanimportant
relationshipbetweenthesetwoparameters.Toexaminethistrend,theauthorsconsidereda
samplecomposedof280participantsinIsrael:14612thgradestudents(52.1%)and134
universitystudents(47.9%).Theydeliveredseveralquestionnairesinordertomeasurethe

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

14

childparentrelationship,evaluatethefatherandmotherjobcharacteristicastheyareseenbythe
childrenbutalsotoevaluatethefuturejobcharacteristicsperceivedbythechildrenand
comparedthemtothoseoftheparents.Theyalsomeasuredtheconformityofparentsjobwith
thedesiredcareerforchildren.Theresultsshowed,atfirst,thatthereisnocorrelationbetween
thequalityoftherelationparentdescendantandthechoiceofcareer.Ontheotherhand,the
authorsfoundthatamongthosewhoclaimedtheyhadgoodrelationshipwiththeirparents,a
positivecorrelationbetweenthecharacteristicschildrenperceivedasimportantinparentaljobs
andthecharacteristicstheydesirefortheirfuturejob.Thesefindingsarequiteoppositetowhat
Otto(2000)found.Thisoppositionshouldbeexamined.Infact,itshowedwhilesomestudiesin
theliteraturepresentparentsascareerguidesthataffecttheirchildrenschoices,otherstudies
attenuateparentalinfluenceonoffspringschoiceofjob.WhileOtto(2000)andTzineretal
(2012)bothaskedhighschoolstudents,thelatterresearchalsoexaminedtheviewsofuniversity
studentswhichwasabsentinOttosstudy.Couldthisdifferenceexplainthedifferencesinthe
findings?Itispossibletomentionthatuniversitystudentsshowedalessdegreeofparental
influenceincareerchoiceastheyaremorematureanddecisionmakersthanhighschoolcollege.
Butthisconclusionistobeattenuatedasthesamplescamefromdifferentcountries.This
differenceinparentalinfluenceacrossculturesshouldbeexaminedmore.

Theliteratureprovidessomestudiesofparentalinfluenceoncareerselectionacross
cultures.Saleemetal(2013)discussedtheprocessofcareerselectionintheyouthPakistanisand
analyzedtheeffectsofparentaljobsandpersonalinterestormotivationonthecareerselection
bytheyounggeneration.Theirgoalwastounderstandwhichparameterinfluencedthejob

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

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selectionforyoungPakistanis:theparentsdecisionsorthepersonalviewsaboutthefuture
career.Theauthorsformedarandomsampleof132undergraduatestudentsinthreebusiness
schools.Usingaquestionnairesentthroughuniversityportals,theresearchersmeasuredthe
processofcareerselectionbyyoungPakistanisandtheinfluenceofpersonalchoiceandparental
jobs.Theresultsshowedapartialcorrelation(r=0.30)betweenparentaljobsandcareerchoice
andahighlysignificantcorrelation(r=0.66)betweenpersonalinterestandcareerchoice.These
resultsshowedthatindevelopingcountriessuchasPakistan,boththeparentsjobsandthe
youngpeoplesinterestsaffectedthecareerselectionprocess.Theparentscouldstillberegarded
asexamplesthatyieldtheyoungpeopletofollowsimilarjobs.Nevertheless,theyoungpeoples
actionsandchoicesarerevealedtobemotivatedbyfreedominchoice.Theseresultsarequite
differentofOttos(2000)ideaabouttheharmonythroughracesbetweentheoffspringsand
parentsviewsaboutcareerchoice.CouldthisbeexplainedbythefactthatOttossamplewas
amongtheAmericansocietyandSaleemetalwasamongPakistanis?

Anattempttoanswerthisquestioncouldbefoundinsomestudiesthatexaminedthe
casesofminoritieswheretheoffspringisinfluencedbyboththeoriginalcultureandthehost
countrysculture.FisherandPadmawidjaja(1999)discussedthemultipleaspectsofparental
influenceontheadvancementofthecareerplanningofstudentsfromtwominoritiesinthe
UnitedStates,MexicanAmericansandAfricanAmericans.Theauthorswantedtoidentifyactual
parentaleffectoncareerselectionofracialminoritiesaswellasthestudentsviewabouttheir
parentsinfluence.Theresearchersconductedsemistructuredinterviewonarandomsampleof
20students,11Africanand9MexicanAmericansfromatraining,relatedtoaMidwestern

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

16

University,intheUnitedStates.Thequestionsinvestigatedthespecificparentalinfluenceonthe
studentscareerchoiceandplanningandtheparentswayofactioninthecareerplanningof
theirchildren.Theresponsesidentifiedsomemajorformsofparentalinfluenceonoffsprings
careerselectionamongtheseminorities:parentalsupportbygivingadvicestotheirchildrenin
termsofcareerplanning,parentalperspectiveoneducation,andpresentationofaworkstatusbut
alsoindependenceofcareerchoice.Theseresultsshowedthatthereisanimportantpositive
correlationbetweentheindependenceofcareerchoiceandthepursuitofpersonalcareer
concerns.Theresultswereinharmonywiththeideathatthepresenceofparentsandtheir
readinesstodiscusstheirchildrenscareerisanimportantbasisforthedevelopmentofastrong
parentoffspringrelationwhichwillinitsturnenhanceandenlargetheparentchilddiscussion
aboutfuturecareer.Thestudyshowedthatthesupportparentsgavetotheirchildren,helped
thesestudentstotakedecisionsandchoosetheircareerandeducationalpaths.Furthermore,the
parentalinfluenceontheoffspringintheseethnicminoritiescouldbeexplainedbythefactthat
parents,whooftendidnotcompletehighschoolandhavelowincomes,wanttheirchildrento
choosecareerpathsthatprovidethemhighlevelsofincome.Analyzingtheresultsofthisstudy
withthatofOtto(2000)andSaleemetal(2013),itispossibletoexplaindifferencesinparental
influenceacrossculturesbythefactthatindevelopingcountries,andamongminorities,there
couldbeahigherparentalinfluenceonthechildrenschoiceofeducationalpaths,influencedby
culturalandsocioeconomicfactors.Furthermore,thepersonaldesiresofcareerpathsforthe
offspringarealsoinvolvedinthecareerselection.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

17

Whenitcomestotheformsofparentalinfluence,literaturealsooffersdifferentstudies
onthesetypes.WhileFisherandPadmawidjaja(1999)showedthatthemajorparentalinfluence
ontheoffspringintermsofcareerchoice,wastheadviceandsupporttheygavetotheirchildren,
WongandLiusstudy(2010)supportedthisidea.Theresearchersinvestigatedtheformsof
parentalinfluenceontheChinesestudentschoiceoftheHospitalityandTourismManagement
(HTM)asacareer.Themainformsofparentalinfluencestudentsthoughttheyhadmajoreffect
ontheirdecisiontohaveacareerinHTMfieldwerethesupportparentsgavetotheirchildrento
workinthisfieldbyexpressingtheirhighexpectationsabouttheirchildrenworkinginthisfield.
Anotherandimportantaspectofparentalinfluencewastheparentsviewsabouttheimportance
ofbenefitsandselfimagethestudentscangetfromworkinsuchafield.Thissupportisquite
interestingasitrevealsthatwhenanoffspringchoosesacertaincareerpath,theparentalsupport
isanimportantfactorinthischoice.

Thethirdandimportantfieldoflifewhereparentalinfluencecouldbestudiedisthe
socialdecisions,likethechoiceofamateorafriend.Theliteratureprovidessomestudiesonthe
parentalinfluenceonsocialchoicesoftheoffspring.Somestudiesdiscussedtheformsof
parentalinfluenceonthemateselection.Apostoulou(2013)examinedthestrategiesusedby
parentstoinfluencetheirchildrensselectionofmate.Theauthorexplainedthatsincethe
selectionofamarriagepartnerbythechildcouldsometimesnotmeetwithparentaldesires,the
parentscouldusesometacticsinordertoaffecttheirchildschoice.Formingdifferentsamples
ofGreekCypriotsandusingquestionnairesandinterviews,theresearcherfounddifferent
techniquesusedbyparentsinordertoinfluencetheirchildrenontheirchoiceofmate.Thisstudy

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discusseddifferentstrategieslikethreatening,includingfinancialthreat,theirdeterminationof
typeofmatetheoffspringshouldmarry,controloversociallifeinordertopreventundesirable
relations,deception,makecomparisonswithothers,showtheirrefuseandunhappinessofthe
choice.However,parentscouldalsonotspeaktotheirchildabouttherelationshipwhichis
anotherwayofaffectingtheoffspring.Thisresearchisimportantasitshowstheeffectiveways
usedbyparentstoinfluencetheirchildrenontheirchoiceofmate.Similarresultswerefoundby
Sussman(1953),whoalsoinsistedonthetacticofthechoiceoftheoffspringneighborhoodin
ordertopreventmarriagesfromdifferentsocialcategories.Furthermore,thesestrategiescould
varyfromaculturetoanotherandalsodependsontheparentoffspringrelationship.

Somestudiesexaminedthisdifferenceinparentalinfluenceonmateselectionacross
differentcultures.Buunketal(2010)examinedtheideaaccordingtowhichparentstendto
controlthematingattitudeoftheirdescendants.Theydiscussedthehypothesisaccordingto
whichthedegreeofparentalguidanceintheselectionofmateisrelatedtothedegreeofsocial
collectivismwithinagivenstateorgroup.TheresearchersformeddifferentsamplesofDutch,
Canadian,Kurdishandinternationalstudents.Usingaquestionnaire,theymeasuredthedifferent
degreesofparentalinfluenceonselectionofmatebytheyounggeneration.Theyalsoasked
aboutthedegreetowhichtheparticipantscultureconsiderthatparentshavetheresponsibilityto
lookfortheperfectmatefortheirchildrenandthatthechildrenshouldsolelyobey.Theresults
showedthatparentalinfluenceonmatechoicehighlydependsonthedegreeofcollectivismof
thesociety,whichtendstodeterminewhetherthechoiceofmateisadecisionofthechildorof
itsparents.InfacttheKurdishsampleshowedahigherdegreeofparentalinfluencethanthe

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Dutchsample.Thisideaisquiteinterestingifthereispreciseunderstandingofcollectivism.
Buunketalwouldexplainthisbytheideaofsocialcohesionwithinthegroup.Thissameideaof
socialcohesioncouldbefoundthroughoutdifferentcountriesandsocieties.AlthoughSussman
(1953)advancedthesameideathatparentstendtomaketheiroffspringchoosetheirmatesfrom
socioeconomicbackgroundthatisquitesimilartothefamilysinordertoensurethefamilys
cohesion,itisimportanttomentionthatthisresearchwasconductedonurbanmiddleclass
Americans,whichisaquitedifferentsampleofBuunketal.Furthermore,thestudywas
conductedin1953.Thisconsistencyoftheideaofrelationshipbetweenparentalinfluenceon
matechoiceandthecollectivismorsocialcohesioncouldbeexplainedbythefactthatparents
oftentendstoaffecttheirchildreninordertomakethemchooseamatethatcouldensure
harmonyinthefamilyrelationshipafterthemarriage.InethnicgroupssuchastheKurdish
sampleofBuunketal,thisharmonyismorerelatedtothecohesioninthesocietythantheonly
familycohesion.Analyzingthedifferentresultsofthesestudies,itispossibletomentionthat
parentalinfluenceontheiroffspringschoiceofmatecouldbeinfluencedbytheneedofasocial
harmonyamongfamilymembersormoregenerallywithinthesocietyorgroup.

Anothertypeofsocialchoicesinwhichparentmightinfluencetheirchildrenisthe
choiceofafriend.Uhlendorff(2000)examinedhowparentalfriendshipsaffectthechildrens
perspectivesaboutfriendshipandtheirwillingnesstogainnewfriends.Theresearcher
consideredthatparentscouldappeartobeencouragingordiscouragingtheirchildrensattitude
intermsoftendencytomakefriends.Theresultsshowedthatthereisasignificantconnection
betweenthenumberoffriendsdevelopedbytheparentsandthenumberoffriendsthechildren

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

20

make.Anothercorrelationexistsbetweenthesocialnetworkoftheparentsandthedevelopment
oftheideaoffriendshipwiththechildwhilenocorrelationexistsbetweenfamilialrelationsand
thenumberofthechildsfriends.Theresearcherconcludedthatthereisanimportantparental
influenceonthesocialintegrationoftheoffspring.Furthermore,itisimportanttonotethatin
thisparticularsocialchoice,parentalinfluencecouldbemorepassiveandindirect.Infact,
parentscouldaffecttheirchildrenindirectly,aschildrenoftenlookattheirparentsasmodels.

Tosumup,itisimportanttonotethattheprocessofdecisionmakingforayoungperson
isquitecomplicatedandinvolvesmanyexternalandinternalfactors.Amongthose,itispossible
tomentionparentalinfluenceontheoffspringchoices.Themeasureofparentalinfluenceonthe
childrensdecisionsiscomplexandinvolvesmanyimportantideas.Theliteratureprovided
manycasestudiesandresearchesontheparentalinfluenceonthechildrenschoices.This
influencevariesthroughouttheage,theculture,thesocioeconomicstatus,thedomainoflife.
Althoughtheliteratureprovidesdifferentstudiesthatleadtoimportantresults,thesestudies
doesntexaminesufficientlytheEgyptiansociety.Thereforethecurrentresearchtendsto
identifytheparentalinfluenceonchildrenintheEgyptiansociety.Theimportanceisto
understandhowparentsaffecttheirchildreninthedecisionmakingprocesswhichisoneofthe
mostimportanttopiconeencountersineverydaylife.

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Methodology
EthicalStandards:
Thepurposeofthisstudyhadbeentheinvestigationofparentseffectontheirsonsand
daughterschoicesanddecisions.Inordertoexaminetheimpactofparentsonchildren,an
onlinequestionnairewaslaunched.Theresearchertookthecautionofananonymouscollection
ofresultsanddata:thequestionsweremadeinsuchawaynottorevealtheparticipants
identities.Asthequestionnaireinvestigatedsomesortofsensitiverelationshipbetweenthe
participantsandtheirparentsoroffspring,itwasimportanttoensurethattheiridentitywontbe
revealedinordernottocauseanysortofembarrassmentamongfamilymembersorfriends.
Furthermore,thesensitivityofthesubjectimpliestheneutralityofthequestions,sothe
researcheravoidedtheuseoftermswhichmightharmonesfeelingsaboutitsparents.The
researcherassuredtheparticipantsoftheconfidentialityoftheirresponsesinordertoensure
theircomfortwhiletakingthesurveyandtheirfreedomtoansweraccordingtotheirsituation
withoutanyfearabouttheiridentity.

Sample:
InordertosurveytheEgyptiancommunitysviewabouttheparentalinfluenceontheir
childrenschoices,theresearchersendoutanonlinesurveytoarandomsampleofEgyptians.
Theoretically,thesampleshouldberepresentativetotheEgyptiancommunityeverypersonhas
therighttoparticipate.Toberepresentative,thesampleshouldincludepeoplefromdifferent
ages,gendersandsocialbackgrounds.Theresearcheranticipatedtoformasampleof500
participants.However,duetotimelimitationsthesamplecontainedonly69Egyptians.The

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

22

researcherusedanonlinequestionnaireinordertofindouttheEgyptiansviewsaboutthe
question.
Chart1showsthat65.2%oftheparticipantsweremalesand34.8%werefemales.

Chart1

AsseenfromChart2,mostoftheparticipants(78.3%)wereagedbetween18and25yearsold,
15.9%wereaged12to17,1.4%wereaged3040and4.3%wereaged4060.

Chart2
Chart3showsthatthesampleincludedparticipantsfromdifferentsocioeconomicbackgrounds.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

23

Chart3

Instrument

Themethodusedinthisresearchstudywassurvey.Theinstrumentusedbytheresearcherwas
anonlinequestionnairewrittenonagoogleformandlaunchedthroughsocialmediaslike
facebook,whatsapp,ithadalsobeensenttocolleaguesbymailacrosstheAUCblackboard.The
benefitsofsuchaninstrumentisthatitiseasytosend,doesnotrequiremuchtimetobefilled
andthroughwhichitispossibletovisualizeandanalyzetheresults.Thequestionnairewas
st
th
launchedonlinefromthe21
ofMarch2015tothe19
ofApril2015,thusaboutamonth.It

contained25questionsincludingquestionsontheparticipantsdemographics(likeage,gender
etc.).Thequestionswereacombinationofyes/no,andopenendedquestions.Thequestions
wereintendedtomeasurethedegreeoftheimpactparentshaveontheparticipantinvarious
fieldsoflifeandhadtheadvantageofrestrictingtheparticipantresponsetoalistofchoicesin
ordertobeabletoquantifytheresults.Thequestionnairealsoincludedopenendedquestions
whichwereintendedtogivetheparticipanttheopportunitytoexpresstheirideasininquiriesthat
mightinvolveavarietyofresponses.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

24

Results
AftersharingtheonlinequestionnaireforaboutamonthwiththeEgyptiancommunity,the
researchercollectedthedata.69personsrespondedtothequestionnaireandreflectedonthe
Egyptianparentsinfluenceontheirchildren'sdecisions.Theresultswouldarepresentedbelow
inchartsandtables.Resultstosomequestionshavebeenomittedfromthissectionandcouldbe
foundinthesampledescriptionandtheappendices.
Question:
7)Whatfactorsledtothechoiceofthisschool?

Fig.1:Factorsinvolvedinchoiceofschool

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

25

Fromfigure1,theresultsshowthatwhenaskedaboutthereasonsbehindthechoiceofschools,
66.7%oftherespondentsexplainedthatbythereputationoftheirschool,while13%explainedit
bythefacttheirbrothersorsisterswenttheirandanother13%explaineditbythefactthatitwas
thesameschoolastheirparents.While8.7%oftheparticipantsrelatedthischoicetofriends,
7.2%explaineditbytherelationshipwiththeirreligiousorculturalbackground.Still14.5%
explainedthisbyotherfactorsnotmentionedabovelikeproximitytotheirresidence,for
example.
Question:
8)Haveyoueverchangedschools?

Fig.2:Changeofschool
FromFigure2itispossibletomentionthat43.5%oftheparticipantsmentionedtheyhave
changedtheirschoolduringtheirchildhood,while56.5%oftherespondentshavenotchangeit.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

26

Question:
9)Ifyouchangedschoolwhatwasthereasonforthischange?

Fig.3:Reasonsbehindthechangeofschool

Theabovepiechart(figure3)revealsthatwhenitcomestothereasonofthechangeinschool,
14.5%explaineditbythechangeofresidence,while7.2%linkedthattoparentalinfluence,
2.9%tolowgradesand1.4%tosocialproblems.Whilenosingleparticipantrelatedthismoveto
friendsinfluence,stillamajorpart17.4%explaineditbyotherreasonslikethequalityof
education,changingfromnationaltointernationalsystem.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

27

Question:
11)Whatisyourmajor?

Fig.4:Major
Theabovediagram(fig.4)showedthat55.1%oftheparticipantsmentionedtheywereina
scienceandengineeringmajor,while11.6%wereinBusinessadministrationmajorand23.2%
mentionedothermajorsnotcoveredbytheabovelistlikelaw,mathsandeconomyetc.

Question:
12)Onwhatbasisdidyouchooseyourmajor?
Responsestothisquestionrevealedmanyreasonsforthemajorchoice.Fromthe55responsesto
thisquestion8responses(14.5%)revealedtheychosetheirmajoronbasisofparentalor
familialinfluence,38responses(69%)showedthatitisonthebasisoflovingthefieldsubject,
whatthepersonisinterestedin,thattheparticipantchosethemajor.Otherresponsesrevealed
thatthebasiswasthebenefitsofthestudiesandmajorintermsofmoney,jobopportunitiesor
evenbenefitstoEgypt.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

28

Question:
13)Didyoueverchangeyourmajor?

Fig.5:ChangeofMajor
Whenitcomestothechangeofmajor,itispossibletonoticefromfig.5,that84.1%ofthe
participantsneverchangedtheirmajor,while5.8%changedit.

Question:
14)Ifyouchangedyourmajorwhatwerethereasonsforsuchastep?

Theresponsestotheabovequestionrevealedthatthemainreasonforwhichparticipantswho
changedtheirmajordidso,wasthattheydidntfeelcomfortableaboutitanddidntsee
themselvesworkinginthatfield.Furthermore,aparticipantrevealedthatthischangehappened
duetofamilialinfluenceandanotherindividualexpressedmoregeneralexternalinfluence.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

29

Question:
15)Towhatextentdoyouthinkyourchoiceofmajorwasinfluencedbyaparental
opinion?

Fig.6:Parentalinfluenceonchoiceofmajor
Fig.6indicatesthat36.2%oftheparticipantsbelievethattheirchoiceofmajorwasnotvery
muchaffectedbytheirparentsopinions,while27.5%thinktheywerentatallinfluencedby
theirparentsintheirdecisions,24.6%thoughttheyweresomewhatinfluencedbytheirparentsin
theirchoiceofmajorand11.6%believedtheywereverymuchinfluencedbyparentalopinion.

Question:
16)Towhatextentdoyouthinkyourmajorshapesyourcareer?

Fig.7:Majorandcareer

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

30

Theabovechartshowedthatwhentheparticipantswereaskedaboutthedegreetowhichthey
thinktheirmajorshapestheircareer,50.7%believethattheirmajorshapestheircareervery
much,while36.2%thinktheirmajorsomewhatshapestheircareer.Still5.8%wereconvinced
thattheirmajordoesntshapetheircareerverymuchbutnoparticipantthinktheirmajordoesnt
shapetheircareeratall.
Question:
17)Howfardoyouthinkyourparents'jobscharacteristicsmotivateyouaboutyour
career?

Fig.8:Parentaljobandmotivationforfuturecareer

Fromtheabovechart,thedatashowedthat29%believedthattheirparentsjobcharacteristics
likehighposition,salary,reputationmotivatedthemalittleabouttheirjob,while26.1%believe
theyweresomewhatmotivatedbythesecharacteristicsand24.6%thinktheywereverymuch
motivatedbythesecharacteristics.Still20.3%believetheywerentatallinfluencedbythese
characteristicsintheircareerselection.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

31

Question:
18)Didyoureplaceanyofyourparentsintheirjobs?

Fig.9:Replacingparentsintheirjobs

Thedataintheabovechartrevealedthat79.7%oftheparticipantsdidntreplacetheirparentsin
theirjobswhile20.3%replacedtheirparentsintheircareer.

Question:
19)Howfardoyouthinkyourparentswouldinfluenceyouinyourchoiceofcareer?

Fig.10:Parentalinfluenceoncareerchoice

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

32

Fig.10showedthattheinquiryaboutthedegreeofparentalinfluenceontheiroffspringschoice
ofcareeramongEgyptiansrevealedthat27.5%oftheparticipantsbelievethattheirparents
wouldntinfluencethematallintheirchoiceofcareerandthesameproportion27.5%believed
theywouldntbeverymuchinfluencedbytheirparentsintheirjobselectionand30.4%think
thatthereissomewhataparentalinfluenceontheirchoiceofcareerand14.5%believethey
wouldbeverymuchaffectedbytheirparentsintheircareerselection.

Question:
20)Howfardoyouspeakwithyourparentsaboutyourpersonalrelationships?

Fig.11:ParentOffspringdiscussionaboutpersonalrelationship

Thedataprovidedbyfig.11revealedthatwhentheparticipantswereaskedaboutthedegreeto
whichtheyspokewiththeirparentsabouttheirpersonalrelationships,26.1%oftherespondents
mentionedtheyspokeverymuchwiththeirparentsabouttheserelationshipsand30.4%said
theyspokesomewhatwiththemaboutthissubject.Ontheotherhand,33.3%oftheparticipants
revealedlittlediscussiononthetopicwiththeirparentsand10.1%mentionedtheydidntspeak
atallwiththeirparentsontheirpersonalrelationship.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

33

Question:
21)Towhatextentdoyouthinkyourparents'opinionsaffectsyourrelationswith
yourfriends?

Fig.12:Parentalinfluenceonfriendship

Theresultspresentedinfig.12showedthat11.6%oftheparticipantsbelievedtherewasavery
importantinfluencebytheirparentsontheirfriendshipsand27.5%thoughttheyweresomewhat
influencedbytheirparentsintheirpersonalrelationshipwiththeirfriends.Still,23.2%believed
theywerentatallaffectedbytheirparentsintheirfriendshipsand37.7%wereaffectedalittle
bytheirparents.
Question:
22)Howfarareyouclosetoyourparents?

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

34

Fig.13:Relationshipwiththeparents
Theabovefigureshowedthatintermsofrelationshipwiththeparents,57.4%ofthesamplesaid
theywereverymuchclosetotheirparents,while26.5%mentionedtheyweresomewhatclose
totheirparents,11.8%expressedtheirneutralityintermsofrelationship,and4.4%saidthey
werenotverymuchclosetotheirparents.

Question:
23)Towhatextentdoyouthinkyourchoiceofhusband/spousewouldbeorwas
influencedbyaparentaldecision?

Fig.14:Parentalinfluenceonmatechoice
Fromfig.14,itispossibletomentionthat10.8%ofthesampleexpressedthattheyparents
influencedthemverymuch,while36.9%showedthattherewassomesortofinfluence,30.8%

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

35

mentionedthattheywerenotverymuchinfluencedbytheirparentsintheirchoiceofmateand
21.5%revealedtheywerenotatallaffectedbytheirparentsinthisdecision.

Question:
24)Towhatextentdoyouspeakwithyourparentsaboutyourpersonalmattersand
difficultchoices?

Fig.15:ParentOffspringdiscussionaboutdecisions
Theabovechartinformedthat39.1%oftheparticipantsrevealedtheyspokeverymuchwith
theirparentsaboutthesesubjects,while27.5%showedtheysomewhatspokewiththeirparents
aboutthose,29%announcedtheydidntspeakverymuchwiththeirparentsand4.3%saidthey
didntspeakatallwiththem.
Question:
25)Towhatextentdoyouthinkyourparentsaffectyouinyourdifficultchoicesand
decisions?

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

36

Fig.16:Parentalinfluenceondifficultdecisions
Theresultsfromthefigureaboverevealedthat49.3%expressedthattheirparentsinfluenced
themsomewhatonthesechoices,while33.3%revealedthattheywereverymuchinfluencedby
theirparents.Still,15.9%believetheparentalinfluenceonthesechoiceswasnotverymuchand
1.4%informedthattheywerenotallinfluencedbytheirparentsinmakingdecisions.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

37

Discussion
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminethedegreeofparentaleffectontheir
offspringschoicesamongtheEgyptiansociety.Fromtheexaminationofthepreviousstudiesin
theliteraturereview,itwasanticipatedthattherewouldbeanimportantinfluenceofEgyptian
parentsontheiroffspringsdecisions.Inthissection,theresultsofthe69participantsresponses
totheonlinequestionnairewouldbeanalyzedanddiscussedinthelightoftheliteraturereview.

Oneofthemainfieldsoflifewheretheeffectofparentsontheirdescendantsdecisions
wasinvestigated,wasthechoiceofschool.Astheresultssuggested,amajorityofthe
participants(66.7%)explainedthechoiceofschoolbythereputationithasandfewothers
expressedthattheywereenrolledinthesameschoolastheirparents(13%).Thisisinan
apparentoppositionwithwhatWorkman(2015)found.Inher,study,sheshowedthatmany
studentsbelievedamajorreasonofthechoiceoftheeducationalinstitutionwastheprevious
enrollmentoffamilymembersandparents.However,itisimportanttomentionthatWorkman
(2015)focusedthestudyonuniversitystudents.Asfortheparentalimpactonthechoiceof

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

38

university,shementionedcouldntbeeffectivelycomparedwiththechoiceofschoolsince,in
thechoiceofschooltheoffspringistooyoungtobeinvolvedinthedecisionmakingprocessand
therefore,parentalinfluenceinthiscaseistooimportant.Furthermore,thechoiceofschooldue
toitsreputationdoesntexcludeparentalinfluence,sincemanyparentsmightchooseanother
schoolfortheirchildrenthantheirownschoolastheyviewthisasmorebeneficial.Theanalysis
ofthisresultamongtheEgyptiansocietyshowedthatthedecisionmakingprocessismore
complexthanitappears:althoughparentscouldbedirectlyinvolvedinthechoiceofschooland
thereforeintheeducationalpathstheiroffspringtakes,theenvironmentincludingfriends
opinions,relativesandotherpeeradvisorsaffectthedecisionmakingprocessforthechild.

Anotherinterestingfindingwasthatmanyparticipantswhochangedtheirschool,
explainedthisduetoachangeinresidence(14.5%)andotherfactors(17.4%),likequalityof
education.Fewparticipantsexplainedthisstepbyparentalinfluence(7.2%),whichwas,
apparently,inoppositiontothetrendintheliteraturethatparentshavesignificantroleonthe
choiceofeducationalpathsoftheiroffspring.Althoughanapparentinterpretationofthisresult
wouldbethattheparentalinfluenceontheEgyptianoffspringislessimportantthaninother
countriesthatwerestudiedintheliteratureliketheUnitedStates,orcertainEuropeancountries,
adeeperoverviewwouldleadtothefactthatthefactorsmentionedabovecouldalsobeaform
ofparentaleffect.Forinstance,thechildmightwanttoremaininschoolbuttheparentalwishof
changeofresidencecouldleadtothechangeinschool.Therefore,itispossibletoexplainthat
thisfindingshowedthatamongtheEgyptiansociety,manyfactorscouldbeinvolvedinthe
educationalpathsoftheoffspringlikefamilialcircumstances(changeofresidence),butalso

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

39

possiblyapersonalview,likethechangeduetothequalityofeducationthatistakenafter
discussionwiththeparents.

Furthermore,whenitcomestothechoiceofmajororfieldofstudy,themajorityofthe
participants(69%)explainedthisdecisionbyapersonalinterestinthesubject,loveofthefield
ofstudy.Fewparticipants(14%)explaineditbyparentalinfluence.Thisfindinghasastrong
relationshipwiththestudyofKerckhoffandHuff(1974)inwhichtheauthorsshowedthatthe
harmonybetweenparentalandoffspringsviewsoneducationalpathscouldnotbeexplainedby
atotalparentalinfluence.KerckhoffandHuff(1974)studyandthecurrentresearchboth
opposedthetrendintheliteraturethatthereisanimportantparentalinfluenceandeffectonthe
offspringschoiceofmajorandmoregenerallyonacademicpaths.Itisalsoimportanttonote
that36.2%oftheparticipantsbelievedthattheirchoiceofmajorwasnotverymuchaffectedby
aparentalimpactwhileonly11.6%believedtheywereverymuchinfluencedbyparentsinsuch
adecision.Still,24%believedtheyweresomewhatinfluencedbytheirparentsinthechoiceof
major.Theanalysisoftheseresultsshowedthatalthoughthesamplerevealedlessparentaleffect
ontheeducationalchoicesoftheoffspringthanWorkman(2015)sampleforexample,thereis
stillsomekindofeffectparentshaveontheiroffspring.Fromthis,itispossibletomentionthat
thechoiceofmajororeducationalpathisinfluencedbybothpersonalviewsandinterestsbut
alsobyparentalopinion.Infact,as50.7%ofthesamplethinktheirmajorshapetheircareer,itis
possibletoconcludethatamongtheEgyptiansociety,thepersonalinterestisstillamajorreason
ofthechoiceoffieldofstudy.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

40

Anotherimportantfindingisthatwhentheparticipantswereaskedabouttheextentto
whichtheybelievethattheirparentsjobscharacteristicsmotivatedthemabouttheirchoiceof
career,approximatelyequalnumbersofparticipantsthoughttheywererespectivelyverymuch,
alittle,somewhatandnotatallmotivatedbysuchcharacteristics.Thisfindingisquiteopposing
whatOtto(2000)mentionedaboutanimportantharmonybetweenparentsandoffspringsviews
aboutcareerchoice.ThisfindingwasmoreinharmonywithTzineretal(2012)study:the
proximityofpercentagesofthedifferentdegreeofmotivationbyparentaljobscharacteristics
showedthatthisparentalinfluencedependsonthepersonalityoftherespondentbutperhapsalso
ontherelationshipparentoffspringlikewhatTzineretal(2012)mentioned.Intheirstudy,they
showedthatapositivecorrelationexistedbetweenthecharacteristicschildrenperceivedas
importantinparentaljobsandthecharacteristicstheydesirefortheirfuturejobforthosewho
claimtheyhaveagoodrelationshipwiththeirparents.Since57.4%informedthattheyareclose
totheirparents,theparentoffspringrelationshipamongtheEgyptiansocietycouldbeareason
forthemotivationonehasaboutthejobduetoparentalinfluence.

Furthermore,30.4%oftheparticipantsbelievedtheycouldbesomewhatinfluencedby
theirparentsintheirchoiceofcareer,andequallyimportantpercentageofparticipantsbelieved
theywouldnotbeverymuchorevenatallaffectedbytheirparentsintheirchoiceofcareer.
Sinceonly14.5%oftheparticipantsbelievedtheycouldbeverymuchaffectedbytheirparents
insuchachoice,itispossibletomentionthattheEgyptiansampleshowedlessdegreeof
parentalinfluencethanothersampleprovidedbytheliteraturelikeWongandLiusstudy(2010)
inwhichtherewasanimportantparentalinfluenceonthechoiceofHospitalityandTourism

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

41

ManagementjobamongChinesestudents.However,still30.4%believedtheycouldbe
somewhatinfluencedbytheirparentsintheirchoiceofcareer.Thisshowedthatthereisstillan
importanteffectofparentsontheiroffspring.Italsosuggestedthatthechoiceofmajoris
affectedbydifferentfactors,likepersonalperceptionsaboutthefuture,worldeffectbutalso
parentalinfluence.ThisissimilartowhatSaleemetal(2013)foundamongPakistanis.This
similaritycouldbeexplainedbytheproximitybetweenthePakistaniandEgyptiancultureand
socioeconomicbackground.Itisthereforepossibletoexplaintheoppositionbetweenthe
findingsandtheliteraturebythedifferenceofparentalinfluenceacrosscultures.

Fromanotherperspective,33.3%ofthesamplesaidtheyspeakalittlewiththeirparents
abouttheirsocialrelationshipsand30.4%saidtheyspokesomewhataboutthesetopicswith
theirparents.Thisstillattenuatestheimportantdegreeofparentalinfluencethatwasgiveninthe
literature,butshowedthatEgyptianoffspringstillconsidertheirparentsasimportantguidesto
discusssocialproblemswith.Moreparticipants(37.7%)believedtheirparentsopinionsabout
theirfriendsdidnotaffectthemintheirsocialrelationsthanthosewhothoughttheywere
somewhataffected(27.5%).ApparentlythisshowthatthecaseoftheEgyptiansocietyisin
oppositiontowhatwasfoundbyUhlendorff(2000)thatchildrenareaffectedsociallybytheir
parents.However,36.9%believedtheyweresomewhataffectedbytheirparentsintheirchoice
ofspouseorhusband.Fromthisitispossibletoexplainthatparentalinfluenceonsociallifeof
theoffspringismoreapparentinthechoiceofmatethaninthechoiceoffriendandthisisdueto
theimportanceofsocialcohesionofthefamilyduringthematechoiceprocess,whichislinked
towhatBuunketal(2010)found.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

42

Finally,althoughthepreviousfindingsattenuatetheimportanceofparentalinfluenceon
theoffspringschoicesamongtheEgyptiansociety,still39.1%oftheparticipantsrevealedthey
spokeverymuchwiththeirparentsaboutdifficultchoicesanddecisionsand49.3%expressed
thattheirparentsinfluencedthemsomewhatonthesechoices.Therefore,theresearchercould
concludethatthereisanimportantperceptionoftheparentsroleintheoffspringslivesinthe
Egyptiansociety.Stillmanyparticipantsconsidertheirparentsasguidesandrolemodelsto
follow.

Conclusion
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexaminethedegreeofparentalinfluenceonthe
offspringschoicesamongtheEgyptiansociety.Inordertoinvestigatethis,atfirstdifferent
researchstudiesoftheliteraturewerepresented.Theysuggestedtheexistenceofparental
influenceontheoffspringschoicesinthreemainfieldsoflife:career,educationandsociallife.
Theyalsosuggestedthatthisinfluencevariesacrosstheculturesandacrosstheagegroups.

Totestthishypothesis,anonlinequestionnairewaslaunchedandtowhich69
participantsresponded.Theresultsshowedthatthereisalessdegreeofparentalinfluenceonthe

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

43

offspringschoicesamongtheEgyptiansocietythanintheliterature.However,theyalsoshowed
thatEgyptianoffspringstendtoconsidertheirparentsmoreasguidesandadvisorsthantheones
whoshouldtakethedecisionsinsteadofthem.

Theoppositionofthesefindingstotheliteratureisimportantforfurtherresearchsinceit
showsthatamongtheEgyptiansociety,therearesomequiteinterestingfindingsthatoppose
whatwasalreadyresearchedinthetopic.Indoingso,theresearchtriedtofillinthegapofthe
casestudiesontheEgyptiansocietyforthisresearchquestion.

ThisresearchstudycouldhelpEgyptianparentsunderstandhowtheiroffspringview
theirroleandthiswouldleadtoamoreeffectivedecisionmakingprocessasparentscouldbe
availablefordiscussionaboutthemajorchoicestobemade.

Limitations
Somelimitationsofthispaperstillappear.Duetotimelimitations,thenumberof
participantsistoosmall(69)andcouldnotberepresentativeofthewholesocietywiththe
varietyofthesocioeconomicbackgrounds.Furthermore,theinstrumentusediseffectiveinthis
limitedtimebutdoesnotallowmuchanalyticalresponsesanddeepunderstandingofthe
parentoffspringrelationship.
Recommendations
Forfutureresearch,theauthorrecommendsthateachdomainoflivesinwhichthereis
parentalinfluencewouldbestudiedseparately.Healsorecommendsthatinterviewswouldbe

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

44

usedasaninstrumentalongwithanyquestionnairetoensuredeeperanalysisoftheparent
offspringrelationshipamongtheEgyptiansociety.

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

45

References

Apostolou,M.(2013).DoasWeWish:ParentalTacticsofMateChoiceManipulation.
EvolutionaryPsychology
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11
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Buunk,A.P.,Park,J.H.,&Duncan,L.A.(2010).Culturalvariationinparentalinfluenceon
matechoice.
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(1),2340.doi:10.1177/1069397109337711

ChakkeungWong,S.,&JingLiu,G.(2010).Willparentalinfluencesaffectcareerchoice?
InternationalJournalofContemporaryHospitalityManagement,22
(1),82102.
doi:10.1108/09596111011013499

Fisher,T.&Padmawidjaja,I.(1999).ParentalInfluencesonCareerDevelopmentPerceivedby
AfricanAmericanandMexicanAmericanCollegeStudents.
JournalOfMulticultural
Counseling&Development
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27
(3),136.

Kerckhoff,A.C.,&Huff,J.L.(1974).Parentalinfluenceoneducationalgoals.
Sociometry,
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(3),307327.

Museus,S.D.(2013).UnpackingtheComplexandMultifacetedNatureofParentalInfluences
onSoutheastAsianAmericanCollegeStudents'EducationalTrajectories.
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(5),708738.

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Otto,L.B.(2000).Youthperspectivesonparentalcareerinfluence.
JournalofCareer
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(2),111118.doi:10.1177/089484530002700205

SaintExupry,A.(1942)
FlighttoArras.
(L.Galantire,Trans.).NewYork,NY:
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Saleem,I.,Almadi,S.,&Saleem,A.(2013).DoPakistaniParents'StillDominateCareer
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Sussman,M.B.(1953).Parentalparticipationinmateselectionanditseffectuponfamily
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Tziner,A.,Loberman,G.,Dekel,Z.,&Sharoni,G.(2012).TheInfluenceoftheParent
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Uhlendorff,H.(2000).Parents'andchildren'sfriendshipnetworks.
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Workman,J.L.(2015).ParentalInfluenceonExploratoryStudents'CollegeChoice,Major,and
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ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

47

Appendices
AppendixA:Theonlinequestionnaire

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

48

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

49

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

50

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

51

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

AppendixB:Responsestoopenendedquestion

6)Whichschooldo/didyougoto?
SacreCoeurGhamra
orubaintschool
Holyfamilyschool
CSF
MLS
Jesuites
jsuite
GlobalParadigmschool
Experimentalschool
Jesuit
OmelabtalExpermentallanguageschool
CollegedeLASaintefamille
jesuites
csf
TheWestminsterSchool,Dubai,UAE.
CollgedelaSainteFamilleJsuites
EBIS(EgyptBritishInternationalSchool
Jesuites
EgyptBritishinternationalschool
Csf
Jesuites
CollgedelaSainteFamille
CollegeDeLaSainteFamille
collegedelasaintefamillejesuites
Jesuites
ManorHouseSchool
Mokattaminternationalschool
ebis
Innkhaledoun
DEO

52

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring
ThanaweyaAmma
NotreDamedelaDelivrande
AASC
Collgedelasaintefamille
ElAlsson
PortsaidBritishschool
Internationalschoolofchoueifat
StemHighschoolforboys6thofoctobre
InternationalschoolinSaudiArabia
EgyptianAmericanInternationalschool
Greenvalleyschool
NewRamsesCollege
FutureInternationalSchool
Islamiclanguageschool
ThebesInternationalschool
Jesuites
SmartVillageSchool
Holyfamilyschool
CSF
Jesuites
Eais
ManaraSchoolLanguage
Merededieu
CollgedelaSainteFamille"Jsuites"
JesuitesCSF
Jesuite
Collegedelasaintefamille
OrmanSecondarySchool
collegedelasaintefamille(jesuites)
Albashaer
Albashaer
ManorHouseschoolIGCSEdivision

53

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

10)Whichuniversitydo/didyougoto?
AmericanUniversityinCairo
Auc
AUC
Cairo
GUC
AUC
Auc
schoolrightnow
AUC
TheAmericanUniversityInCairo

AlexandriaUniversity
Auc
Cairouniversityfacultyofengineering
Ainshamsengineeringuniversity
cairo
AUC
MisrInternationalUniversity.
Toulouseschoolofeconomics
BUE(BritishUniversityinEgypt)
CairoUniversity
AUC
Guc
Ainshams
CairoUniversity
GUC
universitedemontpellier
AUC
AUC
AUC
AmericanUniversityinCairo
Auc

54

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring
Ainshams
CairoUniversity
AUC
Ainshams
AUC
AUC
AUC
AUC
Auc
AmericanUniversityinCairo
Auc
TheAmericanUniversityofCairo
AUC
TheAmericanUniversityinCairo
AUC
None
UFE
CairoandAUC
UniversitParis1PanthonSorbonneandCairoUniversity
RyersonUniversity
LaSorbonne,Paris
CairoUniversity
AUC
AUC
AUC
AUC

55

ParentalInfluenceonOffspring

56

12)Onwhatbasisdidyouchooseyourmajor?
havingmygrandfatherasmyrolemodel
father
Passion
Iloveit
Parents'choice
Itsfuture
Whati'minterestedto
Businessismychoice

Lawwasmyparentschoice
No
Iliketoworkinthisfield
Ilovescienceandengineering,IthinkIamreallygoodatthemandalsotheyareveryimportantforour
life
Passion
Iaminlovewithcommercialsubjects.Iamnotapersonwhobyheartssyllabuses,Iliketounderstand
andapplybasedonpracticalcasesandsituations.
I'vealwayslikedbusinessandiwanttoopenaabusinesssoichosethatmajor.
Personalchoice
Myinterest
Forwhati'mgoodin
Mathandphysicsweremyfavoritesubjectsinschool.
thepersoni'mlookingforwardtobecomeandaprofessionwhereicouldaidthoseseekingmedicalhelp
Ilikeit
It'swhatI'minterestedin
Gradesinhighschool
Grandfather'sdream
Whatisawmyselfworkinginandenjoyed
Ilikeit
Likedmath
Itgetswellpaidjobs
Ilovemechanicalengineering.
Passion

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Ilovedmathsandphysicsandeverythingrelatedtomechanics
Ilikethesubjectsitakeinthismajor
Parents
Ilikeit,andit'sinteresting.
IlikeditbecauseIwasintroducedtoitatschoolandIlikedtheworkinvolvedwithtakingthismajor
Futurejob(moneywise)
Myinterestinthestudyandtheworkingfield
Personalpreference
MydadisaConstructionEngineerandhemademelovethisprofessionsoIdecidedtostudyit
Ifeelpassionateaboutit
Iamnotdeclaredyet.Butiwouldchoosebusinessbecauseibelieveitisthemostbeneficialthingto
studynowadaysandbecauseeverythingisrelatedtotheconceptsofbusiness.
academicinterestandfather'sjob.
Worldonfluence
Iwasinterestedinit
ilovemaths
Mypersonalpreference
Passion
Myinterests
Lovingmaths
Personalinterest,Jobopportunities
ilovesciences
Mydadswork
Mydadswork
Personalpreference
ifeelitisomethinguniqueandberymuchneededinEgypt.AlsoIthinkitisthemajorthatbestsuitsme.

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14)Ifyouchangedyourmajorwhatwerethereasonsforsuchastep?
N/A
Ididntandyoushouldnotmakethisarequiredquestion
Ididn't
Idon'tlikemymajor,I'mnotverygoodatmath.
Gottotheknowthesubjectbetter
PeoplearoundmeadvisemetochangeengineeringmajorespeciallywhoarealreadyengineersanfI
thinkImaketherightdecision
Family
Iwasnotashappyinmypreviousmajoritwasnotchallengingenoufandididntseemyselfworkingin
thisfield
Justhadafeelingthatthisisnotwhereibelongornotwhatiwanttobedoinginthefuture.
ididntchangeit
NA
badsalary