By Tim Collins For Mailonline
Published: 17:18 GMT, 8 February 2019 | Updated: 18:37 GMT, 8 February 2019
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'Helicopter parenting' adopted by well-off parents are giving their children the best chance of success in life.
That's the claim of a new book that tackles the controversial style of raising youngsters.
Critics of the micro-managing tendencies of middle class parents have claimed that they lead to 'defiant' children who are poorly prepared for the real world.
Now, economists have argued that such intensive pushy parenting can bring life-changing benefits to children, particularly when it comes to academic achievement.
However the approach may also be partly responsible for the widening gulf between rich and poor, they say.
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'Helicopter parenting' adopted by well-off parents are giving their children the best chance of success in life. That's the claim of a new book that tackles the controversial style of raising youngsters (stock image)
Dr Matthias Doepke, a professor of economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, and co-author Dr Fabrizio Zilibotti of Yale University are behind the claims.
Through personal anecdotes and original research, the pair 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.
Dr Doepke and Dr Zilibotti analysed academic tests of 15-year-olds around the world, according to reports in the New York Times.
They then compared these results to reports from teenagers and their parents about how they interact.
The researchers discovered that 'helicopter parenting' styles correlated with higher academic attainment.
'My parents expected us to show up for meals, go to school and be home before dark, but other than that, we had a lot of freedom,' Dr Doepke said.
'The reality is that I am now a much more intensive parent who spends a lot of time on parenting, just like most other American parents today.'
Through personal anecdotes and original research, the pair 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 (stock image)
Previously Dr Doepke and Dr
