Childhood

Question 1

Gender and childhood

Answer 1

Sharpe, Oakley and fine found boys and girls are socialised into a set of behaviours based on cultural expectations of masculinity and femininity

Question 2

Age patriarchy and childhood

Answer 2

Control over children’s time, economically dependent on parents, control speed at which their children grow up

Question 3

Class and childhood

Answer 3

Nelson - helicopter parents
Rich parents interfere in the lives of their children, causing spoilt and immature children

Laureau
Experiences of middle class childhood was socially constructed by parents. This dominated middle class families life.
Working class provided basic needs to their children, however let them grow naturally rather then interfere

Question 4

Ethnicity and childhood

Answer 4

Shaw
British Pakistani Muslims treated female daughters in more traditional ways to brothers

Ghumann
Found that religion had a big impact on the childhood for Asians, many Muslim children spent their Saturday mornings at the mosque learning the Quran

Question 5

Changes to childhood

Answer 5

Aries
Pre industrial, modern childhood didn’t exist. When a child was no longer physically dependent on their parents i.e age of 7, they were treated the same as adults. Aries claimed this happened because age was often not known for children as it was not registered.

Research method- analysed how children where presented in medieval paintings, often wearing same clothes as adults n carrying out same tasks

Question 6

Evaluation of Aries

Answer 6

Pollock
Limited n highly selective paintings

Wilson
Too ethnocentric meaning he views the past from perspective of the present

Question 7

The state and childhood

Answer 7

Chambers
taking on the role of the good parent e.g pg

Wells
Government policed for childhood are mostly organised around saving children from internal threats e.g abusive parents, germs, viruses, ignorance, pornography.

Policies to protect children
NHS, education, 2004 children act, social services, law restrictions

Question 8

Child centred society

Answer 8

Cunningham three major factors
Childhood, legally extends to the age of 18 children viewed as innocent n they need adult protection from things such as bad parenting, neglect, exploitation

Separation from adult world, physicallym symbolically seperated.

Child rights, the right to happiness, to be safe to be healthy

Question 9

Disappearance of childhood

Answer 9

Postman
Children have more exposure to adult things because of media such as tv

Palmer
Toxic childhood - tech harming children bc parents are using them as n alternative to traditional parent practices

Question 10

Postmodernism theories

Answer 10

Argues class is breaking down, institutions becoming diverse, no room for grand generalising theories

Question 11

Functionalism and new right

Answer 11

Threat from trends such as divorce

Question 12

Childhood disappearing

Answer 12

Cunningham
Parents are being undermined as children now have more money from both their parents and part time jobs

Silva
Children and adults are increasingly leading separate lives meaning there is a decline in the role of a parent