Parental investment and the economization of parenting

We argue that economists, as well as other social scientists, have increasingly focused on parenting as a means of building children’s human capital and reducing poverty. This is reflected, in part, in the use of the concept of ‘parental investment’ to study parenting, which has gained prominence over the past thirty years. This intellectual program is also evident in interventions targeting low-income parents to change parenting behavior to reflect the ‘parental investment’ model. Our study first documents the rise of the use of ‘parental investment’ in economics, psychology, and sociology, using a SCOPUS-generated corpus of academic documents. Through a critical analysis of two highly influential articles, we uncover the key assumptions of the economic approach to the study of parenting. We then show how this approach informs parenting programs that directly affect parenting behavior. Finally, we offer preliminary reflections on the consequences of the economization of parenting.