Childhood

Question 1

What does socially constructed mean?

Answer 1

Something created and defined by society.

Question 2

What is the modern western notion of childhood?

Answer 2

Children are seen as vulnerable and in need of protection. They lead lives of leisure and play and are largely excluded from paid work. Childhood is seen as a ‘golden age’ of happiness and innocence.

Question 3

In what 3 ways does Ruth Benedict argue that children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their modern western counterparts?

Answer 3

• they take responsibility at an early age e.g. children in Bolivia are expected to work at the age of 5.
• Less value is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority
• children’s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently

Question 4

Who talks about historical differences in childhood? (how childhood has changed overtime)

Answer 4

Aries

Question 5

What does Aries argue?

Answer 5

In the middle ages, childhood didn’t exist and children weren’t seen as having a different nature or needs from adults. As soon as they were able, children entered wider society and began work (mini-adults and economic assets) and the law made no distinction between children and adults.

However, children are now seen as economic burdens.

Question 6

What evidence did Aries use to support his view?

Answer 6

He used works of art from the period where children and adults were dressed the same and working/playing together.

Question 7

How can Aries’ research be challenged?

Answer 7

It was based on rich children so wasn’t representative/generalisable to the whole population.

Question 8

In what ways does Aries say the modern cult of childhood emerged?

Answer 8

• schools (which adults had previously attended) came to specialise purely in the education of the young (reflected influence of church)
• Growing distinction between children’s and adult’s clothing
• by the 18th century handbooks on childrearing were widely available (a sign of growing child centredness)

Question 9

What are the reasons for the changes in the position of children?

Answer 9

1. Laws restricting child labour and excluding children from paid work. Children changed from being economic assets to economic burdens.
2. Compulsory education 1880 – economic burdens staying in education till 18/21
3. Child protection and welfare legislation
4. The growth of the idea of children’s rights
5. Declining family size and lower infant mortality rate
6. Children’s development became the subject of medical knowledge
7. Laws and policies that apply specifically to children

Question 10

Who talks about the disappearance of childhood?

Answer 10

Neil Postman

Question 11

What does Neil Postman argue?

Answer 11

Sociologist Neil Postman argues that childhood is “disappearing at dazzling speed” and blames this on television culture. In the past there was an information hierarchy as children couldn’t read but adults could. This meant adults had the power to keep knowledge, sex, money, death and other adult matters from children enabling them to remain ignorant and innocent from the dangers of the world. However children now have access to this knowledge via TV as it is easy to access and retain information: therefore breaking down the boundaries between adults and children and diminishing adult authority. By destroying the information hierarchy, children are exposed to the dangers of the real world and no longer remain innocent.

Question 12

How can Postman be criticised and who by?

Answer 12

However Iona Opie argues that childhood isn’t disappearing. Her and her husband researched children’s unsupervised games, rhymes and songs and they found strong evidence of the continued existence of a separate children’s culture over many years.

Question 13

What does the March of Progress view argue?

Answer 13

The march of progress view argues that the position of children in society has been improving over the past few centuries and today it is better than it has ever been. Their view paints a dark picture of the past, describing the history of childhood as a nightmare from which we only recently begun to awaken.

Question 14

Which sociologists hold a March of Progress view?

Answer 14

Aries and Shorter

Question 15

What do Aries and Shorter say?

Answer 15

Aries and Shorter say today’s children are more valued, better cared for, protected and educated, enjoy better health and have more rights. Children have higher chances of survival due to better healthcare and laws protect them from abuse and labour.

Question 16

What do March of Progress say about the family?

Answer 16

. The family is now more child-centred, meaning there are higher living standards and smaller family sizes so parents can afford to provide for children’s needs properly and they work less so they can spend time with their children. March of progress sociologists argue that children are the focal point of the family: parents invest in their children emotionally and financially and have high aspirations to give them better lives than they had.

Question 17

How can the March of Progress view be criticised?

Answer 17

This view can be criticised by the conflict view for ignoring inequalities among children (e.g. gender, ethic, class )and inequalities between children and adults (greater control, dependency and oppression)

Question 18

Who talks about toxic childhood?

Answer 18

Sue Palmer

Question 19

What does Sue Palmer argue?

Answer 19

Argues that rapid technological and cultural changes in the past 25 years have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development. Children often spend hours inside dark rooms playing video games, watching tv abd eating junk food. This might happen because parents are working for longer, however there are many concerns over children’s health and behaviour as there are increased rates of obesity, self-harm and drug abuse among children than ever before.

Question 20

How can Palmer/toxic childhood be criticised?

Answer 20

Childhood is much more positive than it was in the past. Children are no longer forced to work and have laws to protect them.

Question 21

What inequalities among children does the conflict view identify?

Answer 21

• boys are more likely to go out after dark unaccompanied/girls do more domestic jobs
• Asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their daughters
• poor mothers are more likely to have low birth weight babies which delays physical and intellectual development

Question 22

What inequalities between children and adults does the conflict view identify?

Answer 22

• neglect and abuse
• control over children’s space e.g. in shops ‘no school children’ and parents taking children to school due to ‘stranger danger’
• controls over children’s time e.g. daily routines and the rate of ‘growing up’
• control over children’s bodies e.g. clothes & piercings
• control over children’s access to resources e.g. limited opportunities to earn money, pocket money, child benefit goes to parent not child

Question 23

Who talks about age patriarchy?

Answer 23

Diana Gittins

Question 24

What is age patriarchy?

Answer 24

Inequalities between adults and children. The fact that there is adult domination and child dependency. Patriarchy oppressed children as well as women.

Question 25

Give criticisms of the child liberationist view

Answer 25

• some adult control over children’s lives is justified on the grounds that children can’t make rational decisions and so are unable to safeguard their interests themselves.
• Although children remain under adult supervision, they aren’t as powerless as the child liberationists claim. E.g. Children Act establishes the principle that children have legal rights to be protected and consulted.

Question 26

What is the New Sociology of Childhood?

Answer 26

This view sees children as active agents who play a major part in creating their own childhoods. We must take the perspective of the child.

Question 27

What does Smart say?

Answer 27

The new approach, looking at the child’s POV, aims to include the views and experiences of children themselves while they are living through childhood.

Question 28

What is the Postmodern view of childhood?

Answer 28

Postmodernists believe children are more controlled today.

Question 29

What postmodernist talks about childhood?

Answer 29

Jenks

Question 30

What does Jenks say?

Answer 30

Jenks says this is because family life is unstable due to divorce. Children aren’t disposable in the same way partners are so they become the primary relationships and child bond becomes most important. This results in children having more surveillance on them as they are seen as vulnerable with a need to be protected by their parents.

Question 31

How has Jenks been criticised?

Answer 31

Jenks has been criticised for ignoring evidence that mothers place more importance on careers rather than children.