Tokyo Moms Value the Human Touch, Chinese Treasure Success

New research into the values considered important and passed on to children by mothers in five Asian cities – Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei – reveals interesting data for communicators and marketers targeting this region. Tokyo moms focus on human ties and raise their children to value friends and not impose on other people, Shanghai mothers put effort into making them successful, while Seoul moms think leadership is the quality they should stress.

Developed by a research institute linked to Japanese education firm Benesse Holdings, the survey showed the primary concern for mothers in all five cities is to bring up children that would become “people who cherish their families,” their next two objectives varied widely.

Mothers in China hoped their children would be “people who display skill at their jobs” and “respected by others,” while those in Taipei valued “being able to persuade others” along with “skilled at work.” Seoul mothers wanted their children to show leadership and also be able to make money.

“Not surprisingly for prestige-hungry China, – explains Reuters – nearly 70 percent of Shanghai mothers and 62 percent of those in Beijing said they wanted their children to attend a famous university, surpassing even South Korea’s famously education-obsessed mothers — who came in third.”