Corporal Punishment of Children in Nine Countries as a Function of Child Gender and Parent Gender

Table 1

Percentages of parents reporting two types of corporal punishment in the last month.

	Mild corporal punishment			Severe corporal punishment
	Girls	Boys	𝜒^2	Girls	Boys	𝜒^2
China (𝑛=241)	48	60	3.25^∗	10	15	1.10
Colombia (𝑛=108)	68	63	.40	15	4	3.42
Italy (𝑛=203)	61	66	.41	12	23	4.31^∗
Jordan (𝑛=114)	66	80	2.99	21	31	1.58
Kenya (𝑛=100)	82	97	5.39^∗	61	62	.01
Philippines (𝑛=120)	71	77	.54	9	8	.00
Sweden (𝑛=101)	9	6	.34	0	0	N/A
Thailand (𝑛=120)	58	72	2.77	5	3	.25
U.S.A. (𝑛=310)	38	36	.13	4	5	.30
Full sample (𝑁=1417)	54	58	2.60	13	14	.36

^∗𝑃<.05.
Note. Values reflect the percentages of families in which either the mother or father reports that either the mother or father or anyone in the household has used mild corporal punishment and severe corporal punishment in the last month and chi-square tests of differences by child gender. Mild corporal punishment included spanking, hitting, or slapping with a bare hand; hitting or slapping on the hand, arm, or leg; shaking; or hitting with an object. Severe corporal punishment included: hitting or slapping the child on the face, head, or ears; beating the child repeatedly with an implement (beating was not asked in the U.S.A.).