childhood Flashcards
phases of childhood
birth - 18 months = baby
18 months - 4 years = infant
5 - 12 years = child
13 years - 17 years = adolescent
legal age of child
under age of 18= child
in england and wales, 10 year olds can be considered criminally responsible by law
social construct
something created by society
differs according to: time place and context
examples of social constructs
gender
childhood
age experiences
law
norms
values
religion
language
culture
literature
music
fashion
concepts childhood is dependent on
era/ time
culture/ place
socio economic conditions
state of medical and scientific knowledge
psychological values
religious and philosophical dogma
historical law for children
factory act 1933
first act of its kind to protect children at work, no under 9 year olds no night work and 2 hours schooling per day
gender
gender role socialisation creates a different childhood for boys and girls
girls are more protected than boys so spend more time indoors, boys are encouraged to be tough and less emotional
social class
‘concerted cultivation’ for middle class children
middle class children encouraged to aim for uni
working class children grow up with more freedom and less guided by parents
upper middle class ‘helicopter parents’ share children’s lives
ethnicity and religion
greater sense of family obligation and duty amongst sikh, muslim and hindu children
muslim children spend saturday mornings at mosque learning arabic or the quran
factors of modern child centred ness
higher living standards
smaller families
growing parental fears for child safety
children’s legal rights
paediatrics and emphasis on parenting skills
emergence of modern childhood
- education was not compulsory until after the 1870 elementary education act
- the school leaving age was raise to 15 in 1944
- leaving age was again raised to 16 in 1972 and exams were expected to be taken by most
- in 2013, some form of education become compulsory until age 17 and then 18 in 2015
is childhood improving or has it worsened
- march of progress sociologists argue that there has been improvement in the lives and experiences of children
- jane pilcher claims childhood is a special, distinct life stage (shown through; protection laws, different clothes,food and toys)
- children can be seen as an ‘golden age of happiness and innocence’ and so must be protected from dangers and adult themes
sue palmers argument
- talks of ‘toxic childhood’
- argues childhood has worsened because modern media and computer games expose kids to violence and sex
- parents talk openly to their kids about their problems
- some are fed junk food and are ‘babysat’ by the tv (screen saturation)
- ‘helicopter parents’ means their free time is too organised
- commercialisation of childhood, children constantly being shown what products they should have
neil postman’s argument
- argues that childhood is disappearing
- there is no clear distinction between adults and children
- taste, style, behaviour are more similar, children are dressing and talking like adults
- children are exposed to globalised media, internet and tv
- children are also not sheltered from issues (sex, porn, crime, violence, alcohol, drugs)
hugh cunningham’s arguement
- supports postman’s ideas and argues the problem is that parental authority has declined in child centred cultures
- claims that power now lies with children in both emotional and economic sense
- children’s spending power has increased from both pocket money and part time work
- many kids have their own bedrooms with tvs, computers and phones - parents can’t fully control the info they absorb - creates fear of a ‘loss childhood’
margo’s argument
- points out that sex is a big indicator of the disappearance of childhood
- average age for first time sex fell from 20 for men and 21 for women in the 1950’s to 16 for both by 1990’s
- sexualisation has become big in business (adverts encourage kids to dress and act in a sexual way, youth magazines provide sex tips for teenagers, health and beauty spas are popular with 8 year old girls, beauty pageants)
disappearance of childhood
- middle ages (most were illiterate, speech was a skill that only adults had)
- 19th century onwards (mass literacy, only adults could read and have access to ‘adult info’)
- modern society (mass media and technology, blurry distinction between childhood and adulthood, less adult authority)
age patriarchy
- aspects in life which children are controlled and adults have power - term ‘age patriarchy’
- refers to the unequal power of relationships between adults and children (gittins) - includes; parents controls and decisions, laws, other adults
- gittins argues that children are oppressed as women in society
- her critics say that some control is justified as children cannot make their own decisions
power relations between parents and children
- democratic relationships (parents listen to the views of their children when making decisions)
- children’s rights (the law protects children from abusive parents)
- child centred families (weekends and holidays are based on child’s interests)
- spending (children have more money spent on them then ever before)
what shows the balance of power is still unequal
- important decisions are made without kids
- the law can only go so far, parents still have authority over their children
- children are financially dependent on their parents
- society is created by adults without any say from children
- many kids suffer abuse by family members
how some parents mistreat their kids
- physical abuse (hitting, kicking, dragging, throwing things)
- sexual abuse (ranging from inappropriate touching to full intercourse, anything needed to be kept secret is abusive)
- emotional abuse (negative talk, put downs and criticisms, shouting and being ignored)
- neglect (lack of food, warmth, attention and being unwashed)
