Reading Habits and Inter-generational Influence of Women with Child-Raising Obligations in Rural Areas

The national reading campaign in China is a strategically important initiative aiming at promoting citizens’ reading literacy. It has been recognized that the need to specifically target at rural areas, which shows lower reading levels compared to the national average. Family involvement is one of the crucial elements in driving reading promotion efforts. This study utilizes data from the Individual Confirmation database and the Child Proxy database of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), and combines theories from sociology and pedagogy field related to family education and inter-generational transmission. This study employs descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling to examine the current state of women reading status in rural areas, as well as incorporates various factors such as educational perceptions, educational participation, offspring personality, and offspring educational performance to validate models of inter-generational influence on reading habits. The findings indicate that women in rural areas with child-raising responsibilities exhibit lower overall reading rates and volumes compared to the general population, although their reading behavior surpasses the regional average in the country. Notably, the study reveals that the reading behavior of these women significantly influences their offspring’s reading behavior and academic achievements through four dimensions: parenting perceptions, educational participation, family relationships and family expectations.