6. CHILDHOOD Flashcards
The dominant framework
.Sees children as incomplete human beings close to nature who lack rationality and the other capacities of adults
.Childhood and adulthood are seen as opposites
.Children are not seen as entities in their own right but are seen as incomplete
the dominant framework Evaluation
.Many sociologists argue that childhood does no follow a series of fixed, predictable stages in all places at all times
= therefore they argue that childhood is a social construction that varies from place to place and time to time
.CAGE = children’s experiences of childhood vary depending on class, gender, ethnicity
Pro western bias?
The modern western notion of childhood
Children are fundamentally different to adults
Because they are unable to look after themselves, they need to be protected during a period of nurturing and socialisation
Follows the dominant framework
Pilcher (1995) - The modern western notion of childhood
.Most important feature of the modern idea of childhood is ‘separateness’ – childhood is seen as a clear and distinct life stage (Children have different status from adults).
.Laws & policies show this separateness = laws stopping children from drinking, smoking – we see children with toys, shows they are different from adults.
.Childhood is seen as the ‘golden age’ of happiness and innocence - Adults job to protect children
Wagg (1992)
Childhood is socially constructed, in particular societies – there is no single, universal concept of childhood = childhood itself is not natural.
Benedict (1934) – Cross-cultural comparisons
children in simpler, non industrial societies are treated differently:
1) More responsibility at an earlier age.
2) Less value placed on obedience to adult authority.
3) Sexual Behaviour is Viewed differently
Punch (2001) - children in simpler, non industrial societies are treated differently
Points out that in rural Bolivia that 5 year-olds are expected to take work responsibilities in the home.
Firth (1970) - children in simpler, non industrial societies are treated differently
found that the Tikopia of the Western Pacific believe that children are well within their rights to dismiss orders from parents. Parents must earn the child’s respect.
Malinowski (1957) - children in simpler, non industrial societies are treated differently
found that the Trobriand Islanders (South West Pacific) were tolerant of children’s sexual explorations.
How much is a child worth by the age of 21
£250,000
Ariès – childhood is a social construction
how that ‘childhood did not exist’ in the Middle Ages: High infant mortality rates Low expectation of life Large families Children had little or no education
Shorter (1975) - Childhood in middle ages
.Children in the middle ages were often treated with indifference due to high deaths rates
→ It was not uncommon for parents to forget how children they had had
.Children were an ECONOMIC ASSET within the family…now they’re an ECONOMIC LIABILITY
Aries – The Development of Modern Childhood
.School – focusing on the education of the young
.17th Century – growing difference in children’s and adults clothing in the upper classes
Aries – The Development of Modern Childhood
.School – focusing on the education of the young
.17th Century – growing difference in children’s and adults clothing in the upper classes
Aries Evaluation
.His work has been seen as value-laden – distorted his work, leading him to be overcritical of medieval childrearing
.Linda Pollock (1983) argues against Aries, for saying ‘childhood did not exist in the past at all’ she says instead, we can say childhood, as a notion and stage has changed.
Reasons The position of Children changed since the Middle Ages
Changes in the Law (Children’s Rights)
Compulsory Education
Smaller Families
Decrease in Infant Mortality Rate & Increase in Divorce Rate
Postman (1994) - Childhood is disappearing
how childhood is disappearing at a ‘dazzling speed’ :
Same rights as adults
Similarity in children’s and adult’s clothing
Children committing ‘adult’ crimes such as murder
Postman (1994) - The Information Hierarchy been destroyed
TV is a source of information to children and this means adults are no longer the ‘gatekeepers’ to information.
Criticisms of Postman
.Postman assumes that children are passive recipients of media messages and that they have little agency (the ability to make decisions)
.Marsh (2010) criticizes Postman for this
Jenks (2005) - Childhood is disappearing
.Children are still highly regulated and restricted by legal restraints in many aspects of society (education, alcohol consumption, political rights)
.People still see childhood as a natural, biological category rather than a social construction
Chambers (2012) - Childhood
.Shift to a child-centred society benefitting children = they are actually given more say in their own upbringing nowadays
.They are protected but still given more independence to construct their own identity
De Mause (1974) - Childhood History
“The history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken. The further back in history one goes, the lower the level of childcare, and the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorised or sexually abused”
Sue Palmer – Toxic Childhood
.disagrees with the march of progress view - Childhood has gotten worse
.rapid technological and cultural changes in the past 25 years have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development.
Evaluation of Jenks, Postman and Palmer
Far too negative = the health of children has improved and low infant mortality rate
They are protected but still given more independence to construct their own identity
Childhood is changing, but there is a balance between the positives and negatives
The March of Progress View - Childhood
The position of children in western societies has been steadily improving and today is better than it has ever been
March of Progress criticism
There are inequalities among children in terms of treatment
The inequalities between children and adults are greater
The Marxist View - Inequalities Between Children
Poverty impacts health of children too = poor children more likely to get ill + have lower life expectancy
Child Poverty Action Group (2017) Statistic
there were 3.9 million children in poverty in 2014-15 and this significantly impacted their experience of childhood
McRobbie (2000) - Feminist View on Childhood
pre-teen boys have more freedom than pre-teen girls = parents worried about abduction / assault
Bhatti (1999) - Ethnic Inequalities between Children
found that more emphasis was placed on family honour and family responsibilities in the socialisation of children in Pakistani families than in White British families
Gittins (1998) - Age Patriarchy
argues there is an age patriarchy whereby adults dominate children through their age
children and women are servants in the house to father.
