The present study compared coercive childrearing practices between mothers of different socioeconomic status. Participants in the study were 40 mothers of children of both sexes, aged 5 to 6 years. Twenty mothers were of low socioeconomic status, and twenty mothers were of medium/high socioeconomic status according to the criteria established by Hollingshead. The mothers were administered a sociodemographic data form and were interviewed about childrearing practices. The results indicated that the mothers of low socioeconomic status exhibited a greater average frequency of responses in the corporal punishment category. The relations between sociodemographic variables and coercive practices are discussed, emphasizing the effects of schooling on the greater variability in the maternal repertoire for regulating child behavior.
coercion; parental childrearing practices; socioeconomic level
