“Blessings or Burdens”: Perceived Values and Disvalues of Children Among Married Filipino Millennials
Document Types
Paper Presentation
School Name
De La Salle University Manila
Track or Strand
Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)
Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)
Go, Stella, P.
Start Date
23-6-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
23-6-2025 3:00 PM
Zoom Link/ Room Assignment
Y501
Abstract/Executive Summary
Children are perceived to carry meanings that either enrich or burden the lives of their parents. However, limited studies have examined the perceived values and disvalues of children in the contemporary Filipino context. To address this gap, a survey was conducted among 100 married Filipino millennials recruited through various social media platforms. The study investigated differences in child-related values and disvalues based on marital role (husbands or wives), parental status (with or without children), and parenting efficacy (moderate or high). Results revealed no significant differences between husbands and wives across six value domains, suggesting increasingly egalitarian attitudes toward parenting roles. However, traditional gendered perceptions persisted where sons were valued more for physical security and kin benefits, while daughters were associated with emotional support and companionship. Significant differences emerged between those with and without children in happiness, love, and companionship, identity and fulfillment, and benefits to the family unit, with parents assigning greater importance to these values. While no significant differences in disvalues were observed across marital role and parental status, a significant difference was found in the combined disvalues across levels of parenting efficacy. However, follow-up pairwise comparisons showed no significant difference in any of the individual disvalues. Overall, the findings reflect a collective awareness among married Filipino millennials of both the rewards and demands of raising children. However, even as an increasingly more egalitarian view of parenting and parental roles is evident, traditional gendered views of sons and daughters still persist.
Keywords
values of children; marital role; parental status; parenting efficacy; millennials
Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)
Family, Relations, and Social Structure (FRS)
Initial Consent for Publication
yes
Statement of Originality
yes
“Blessings or Burdens”: Perceived Values and Disvalues of Children Among Married Filipino Millennials
Children are perceived to carry meanings that either enrich or burden the lives of their parents. However, limited studies have examined the perceived values and disvalues of children in the contemporary Filipino context. To address this gap, a survey was conducted among 100 married Filipino millennials recruited through various social media platforms. The study investigated differences in child-related values and disvalues based on marital role (husbands or wives), parental status (with or without children), and parenting efficacy (moderate or high). Results revealed no significant differences between husbands and wives across six value domains, suggesting increasingly egalitarian attitudes toward parenting roles. However, traditional gendered perceptions persisted where sons were valued more for physical security and kin benefits, while daughters were associated with emotional support and companionship. Significant differences emerged between those with and without children in happiness, love, and companionship, identity and fulfillment, and benefits to the family unit, with parents assigning greater importance to these values. While no significant differences in disvalues were observed across marital role and parental status, a significant difference was found in the combined disvalues across levels of parenting efficacy. However, follow-up pairwise comparisons showed no significant difference in any of the individual disvalues. Overall, the findings reflect a collective awareness among married Filipino millennials of both the rewards and demands of raising children. However, even as an increasingly more egalitarian view of parenting and parental roles is evident, traditional gendered views of sons and daughters still persist.
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/paper_frs/9
