2) Have the positions of children improved? Flashcards
(is CH good or bad for children?)
Aries and Shorter- March of Progress
look at how childhood has improved lives of children in terms of the family:
- in middle ages, children used as economic assets, had low status, were expected to be “seen and not heard, high IMR, no social mobility and ascribed status
- However, since the SC of CH, family now more “child-centered”; families heavily invest in them both financially and emotionally, allowed for social mobility; based on meritocracy and achieved status, more protected
-this led to the children’s act and alongside this act, services and charities have protected children, e.g. Childline, NSPCC
-overall children’s lives have improved.
Evidence to show child-centredness in family
- by the time a child reached their 21st birthday, they have cost the family £227,000, children are no longer economic assets; they are economic burdens
- decline in IMR means that there is a decline in birthrates and family sizes children have less siblings so there is more attention on just 1 or 2 children
Sue Palmer (2006): Toxic CH
-CH has been ‘reconstructed’ (nature of CH has changed)
why:
1. technological and cultural changes (online gaming, access to social media)
2. marketing (intense)
3. education (all about testing, even in primary school, SATS)
4. parents work long hours now, in post-modernity, services open 24/7, no time off (shift work)
5. access to junk food
-UK have the most obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse, early sexual experience and teenage pregnancies
-british children spend more time with peers than other children in western countries; feel parents not there when they need them and feel unloved
how have these reasons damaged children? in what ways?
-physical health- increase in obesity/ED (bulimia) because of screen time- social media/plastic surgery causes body image issues
-emotional health- testing in schools
-intellectual health- social media, badly influenced, lack of information in the real world
-social health- long hours worked by parents, families dont have meals together
AO3; support for Palmer:
- Margo and Dixon: obesity, self-harm, depression- children have the highest rate of these
- Rees 2011: 9% of young people run away from home overnight at least once each year
- evidence shows that childrens experience is not as happy as MOP imply
how is there inequality amongst children now?
there are varied factors:
1. sex- girls are more surveillanced than boys because of patriarchy; sees girls as weak vulnerable, also expected to do more domestic work
2. ethnicity/religion- some cultures are patriarchal, it might be normal to smack
3. class- material deprivation, higher risk of poverty, poor health, absences and domestic violence (Wilkinson and Picket- high levels of stress causes conflict)
4. sexuality- children who are part of th LGBTQ+ community are more likely to get abused, sexually assualted, bullied
this shows that the inequality between children are worse now due to the SC of CH
How is there inequality between children and adults?
-sexual/physical abuse- can escape because they are economically dependant
evidence? 1 in 5 children found to be abused by parents
what children’s aspects are controlled by adults?
their
1. Space- more adult surveillance
-Cunningham: area in which children were allowed to travel alone was one ninth of its size 25 years ago
-Katz: rural sudaneese children allowed to roam freely (no childhood)
2. Time- adults control the speed in which children grow up (old enough to do something)
-control daily routine
3. Bodies- adults dominate over your body (piercings/tattoos)
-can touch children in certain ways
4. Recourses- they have control over their money, food and devices
Child liberationists: Gittins (1998)
child protection is just forms of adult domination over children
Gittins- refers to the concept of age patriarchy; children were economically independent but now are economically dependent on adults- allows adults to control them.
Difference of opinions on child labour/education
MOP- banning of child labour and compulsory education is a form of protection
CL- compulsory education is a form of child oppression because you are ED
Hockey and James (1993)
children hate CH:
-they try to resist adult domination by engaging in 2 strategies:
1. engaging in adult behaviours (underage smoking, drinking, sex)
2. engaging in childish behaviours
shows its worsened the lives of children
why do CL criticuse MOP?
-they generalise
-all childrens lives have improved due to CH is idealistic
