I live in Tokyo, so let's take the Japanese case as an example. Japan invented the "Tiger Mother" concept, and even enshrined it in an Imperial rescript in the Meiji era. In Japanese slang they are known as "Kyouiku Mama", literally "education mothers". Despite this, or perhaps because of it, I consider Japanese parenting to be an EPIC FAIL.
Japan's 2007 suicide rate was 24.4/100,000 people compared to 11.1 in the U.S. (Hong Kong's was 16.2, I don't fully believe the PRC's statistics). In Japan, the amount of" NEETS" (shut-ins who are Not in Employment, Education or Training) was 520,000 in September 2003 (out of a population of 120 million), according to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Bear in mind that over 25% of Japan's population is over 65 (12.4% in the U.S.) because young Japanese refuse to breed. Japan's birth rate in 2009 was 1.37/woman (compared to 1.54 in China and 2.1 in the U.S.). Incidentally, while China's birth rate is not declining as steeply as Japan's, China's demographics are horribly skewed. Because modern ultrasound technology can predict a baby's sex in the womb, Chinese Tiger Mothers are aborting their baby girls in a grim twist on the ancient Chinese practice of female infanticide. (The Chinese Communist Party only allows one child per couple, and no one wants to "waste" it on a worthless girl). The result of Tiger Mothers devouring their young: in 2005 , births of boys in China exceeded births of girls by more than 1.1 million. There were 120 boys born for every 100 girls. Good luck getting a date for the prom, guys!
In developing Asia,(India, China, etc), most parents can't hope to raise their kids according to the Amy Chua Tiger Mother model. While a small percentage of parents in China or India may be worried about getting their "Little Emperor" through his violin recital, millions more are literally picking through the trash to find their next meal. Tiger Mothers? I'll stick to our soccer moms!
