Includes bibliographical references and index.

The economics of parenting style -- The rise of helicopter parents -- Parenting styles around the contemporary world -- Inequality, parenting style, and parenting traps -- From stick to carrot: the demise of authoritarian parenting -- Boys versus girls: the transformation of gender roles -- Fertility and child labor: from large to small families -- Parenting and class: aristocratic versus middle-class values -- The organization of the school system -- The future of parenting.

The authors show that in countries with increasing economic inequality, such as the United States, parents push harder to ensure their children have a path to security and success. Economics has transformed the hands-off parenting of the 1960s and '70s into a frantic, overscheduled activity. Growing inequality has also resulted in an increasing 'parenting gap' between richer and poorer families, raising the disturbing prospect of diminished social mobility and fewer opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The authors discuss how investments in early childhood development and the design of education systems factor into the parenting equation, and how economics can help shape policies that will contribute to the ideal of equal opportunity for all.