Blogpost 4: Cultural Spanking

In most countries, Spanking is the main way on how parents discipline their children. Because of this, spanking became a culture in every family in world as a way of punishment. Now, let me state to you how spanking relates to culture.

"In many cultures, parents have historically been regarded as having the duty of disciplining their children, and the right to spank them when appropriate; however, attitudes in many countries changed in the 1950s and 60s following the publication by pediatrician Dr Spock of Baby and Child Care in 1946, which advised parents to treat children as individuals, whereas the previous conventional wisdom had been that child rearing should focus on building discipline, and that, e.g., babies should not be "spoiled" by picking them up when they cried. The change in attitude was followed by legislation. Since 1979, 30 countries around the world (at 2011) have outlawed domestic corporal punishment of children. In Europe, 22 countries have banned the practice. And in many other places the practice is considered controversial."

In some countries like Africa, Middle East, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea spanking punishment in one’s own children is lawful. But in Singapore and Hongkong, spanking is legal but not properly encouraged in parents.


Most of the nations, spanking becomes the cultural way of punishment to children but there are opinions whether spanking is helpful or harmful to a child’s behavior. These children who are victims of spanking will have their own family in the future and if this kind of culture will continue, there are possibilities wherein they will implement this to their own kids someday. If this kind of culture will not stop, spanking will always be the main punishment to children and negative effects will grow into them.