The expression tiger mother hit the spotlight in early 2011 with the release of the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Bloomsbury) by law professor Amy Chua. The book, intended as a comic memoir about Chua’s approach to motherhood, ignited a global debate on the pros and cons of this exceedingly strict method of parenting and became one of the most controversial publications of 2011. The term tiger mother does however appear to pre-date the book, having been used a few years earlier in the context of over-protective mothering. It seems to have developed from the metaphor of tiger cubs and their ability to ‘move faster’ than other feline young. Use of the metaphor has been mildly productive, with some evidence for tiger parents and tiger dad/father.

The expression tiger mother hit the spotlight in early 2011 with the release of the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Bloomsbury) by law professor Amy Chua. The book, intended as a comic memoir about Chua’s approach to motherhood, ignited a global debate on the pros and cons of this exceedingly strict method of parenting and became one of the most controversial publications of 2011. The term tiger mother does however appear to pre-date the book, having been used a few years earlier in the context of over-protective mothering. It seems to have developed from the metaphor of tiger cubs and their ability to ‘move faster’ than other feline young. Use of the metaphor has been mildly productive, with some evidence for tiger parents and tiger dad/father.