childrearing

[chahyld-reer-ing]

noun

1. the raising and parenting of children.

   Childrearing extends beyond simple guardianship to nurturing and guidance.

adjective

1. of or relating to the raising and parenting of children.

   The majority of childrearing responsibilities are shouldered by female family members.

Word History and Origins

Origin of childrearing¹

1840–45; child ( def. ) + rear ² ( def. ) (in the sense “to take care of to maturity”) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Even the late Pope Francis — who took his name from the patron saint of animals — had some harsh words in 2022 for adults who have pets but not children, suggesting that opting out of childrearing is “selfish” and “takes away our humanity.”

Read more on Salon

Hayashi noted economic instability, difficulties in balancing work and childrearing and other complex factors as main reasons why young people have a hard time deciding to get married or raise children.

Read more on Seattle Times

The data was released as Japan’s parliament on Wednesday approved a revision to laws designed to beef up financial support for childrearing parents or those expecting babies, as well as to widen access to childcare services and expand parental leave benefits.

Read more on Seattle Times

“Contemporary hunter-gatherer societies can offer clues as to whether there are certain childrearing systems to which infants, and their mothers, may be psychologically adapted,” Chaudhary said in a statement.

Read more on Salon

Many women cite the high cost of childrearing, difficulty in continuing on their career, gender discrimination and not wanting to get married as key factors for not wanting children.

Read more on Reuters

When To Use

What does childrearing mean?

Childrearing is the raising or parenting of a child or children.The verb rear means to take care of, support, and raise until maturity. To rear children is to raise them. The word rearing can be used as a noun, as in the rearing of livestock. Childrearing refers to the overall process and effort involved with raising children, including the basics, like feeding them and keeping them healthy, as well as other aspects of nurturing them and teaching them how to behave.Childrearing can also be used as an adjective describing such activities, as in When my wife travels for work, I have to take care of all the childrearing responsibilities.The term childrearing can sound somewhat old-fashioned. It’s much more common to say raising children or raising kids or parenting.Example: They say that childrearing is the hardest job you’ll ever love.