childhood Flashcards
JANE PILCHER
childhood as a social construct
- Jane Pilcher argues that childhood is a clear and distinct life stage / separated from adulthood
- children have separate lives to adults
- in western culture children are defined as vulnerable and in need of care
the differences between childhood and adulthood
LA iWS - regulating what children are allowed to do or not to do
DRESS - particularly for younger children
PRODUCTS/SERVICES - toys, entertainment, food, books etc
AGE OF INNOCENCE - vulnerable, need protection
ACTIVITIES - unlike adults, children’s lives consist of leisure and play and are likely to be largely excluded from work
GENERAL SOCIOLOGISTS
childhood as a social construct
- sociologists argue that childhood is socially constructed and not biologically determined
- childhood is seen as being created and defined by society
- reinforced by social attitudes, norms and traditions of a particular culture
evidence to show that childhood is socially constructed…
- differences in childhood between cultures
- changes in the history of treatment of children throughout history
- the way children experience childhood differently within some culture
cross-cultural differences in childhood
RUTH BENEDICT (1934)
argues children in simpler, non industrialised societies are treated differently
- take on responsabilities at an early age (Bolivia)
- less value placed on children obeying authority (Tikopia, Pacific Islands)
- children’s sexual behaviour is viewed differently (e.g Trobriand Islands, Papua, New Guinea)
research into other countries
SAMANTHA PUNCH
LOWELL HOLMES
SAMANTHA PUNCH - children caged in rural Bolivia are expected to take on responsibilities in the home and community
LOWELL HOLMES - research of childhood in a Samoan village found that a child was never considered ‘too young’ to do a particular task
childhood statistics
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION
- 1 in 7 children in the world work
- 168 million children were involved in child labour in 2012
childhood statistics
CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL
suggests between 2007 and 2017, 300,000 children were involved in active conflict in more than 30 countries worldwide
historical changes in childhood
PHILLIPE ARIES (10th to 13th century)
- PHILLIPE ARIES argues that in the middle ages the ‘idea of childhood did not exist’ after the period of weakening
- no separate stage in life
- children did not have different ‘nature’ or needs from adults
- the same just smaller - mini adults and lived on the same terms as adults:
- same rights, duties
and skills
- same laws
- same clothing
18th to 19th century industrialisation
PHILLIPE ARIES
- PHILLIPE ARIES argues that childhood is a relatively new invention and linked to industrialisation
- work moved outside family agriculture and towards factories
- the need for a numerate and literate workforce lead to compulsory education
- restrictions on child labour put in place
- children now had a separate status
- children became dependent upon adults and a new phase of life called ‘childhood’ emerged
what where some 18th to 20th century laws to protect children?
- laws restricting child labour
- 1870 compulsory elementary schooling
- children act was the right to healthcare and an education
- child specialists such as paediatricians
- child protection like the children’s act (1989)
- children’s rights such as the UN convention rights of the child (1989)
PHILLIPE ARIES
past treatment of children
in the past, children were not treated as special because:
- high infant mortality rate
- life was hard
- children were an economic asset and had to work to help family survive, therefore given adult responsibilities at a young age
social class differences in childhood
- about 25% of all children in the uk live in poverty
- poor children have ill-health and dont achieve as well in education
- may be forced to take part time work to help pay for activities, clothes etc
- rich parents can afford to pay for activities, educational opportunities that could enhance a childs personal and social experiences
gender based differences in childhood
- girls are more strictly controlled than boys
- girls are expected to help around the house more than boys
ethnicity based differences in childhood
different cultures may have different expectations on children and their behaviour