childhood

Question 1

what are the 3 ways in which childhood can be varied

Answer 1

• between societies (in diff cultures) - e.g. childhood may vary between MEDCs (more economically developed countries) and LEDCs (less economically developed countries)
• within classes/ between classes - e.g. children from rich families vs children from poor families
• historically (different generations) - e.g. in the past, children had to work from a younger age

Question 2

outline the modern western notion of childhood

Answer 2

• childhood is a special time of our life
• children are fundamentally different than adults - they are physically and psychologically immature
• children’s lack of skills, knowledge and experience means they need a lengthy period of nurturing + socialisation before they are ready for adulthood

Question 3

what are some examples of how children are treated differently to adults

Answer 3

• given controlled bedtime, diet, clothing, routine
• restrictions from the law in terms of age restrictions

Question 4

what does Pilcher say about the modern west notion of childhood

Answer 4

• the most important feature of childhood is separateness; children operate a separate status than adults
• society protects kids via; the law, access to content, products, dress, entertainment etc

Question 5

outline the idea of childhood as a ‘golden age’

Answer 5

• childhood is a ‘golden age’ of happiness and innocence, however is simultaneously a time of vulnerability and protection (‘quarantine’) from the outside world
• thus, children live in a sphere of their family + education where they are protected, provided for and leading lives of leisure and play

Question 6

what does Wagg say about childhood

Answer 6

• different cultures define childhood differently - there is no single universal childhood
• in the west, children are seen as vulnerable - in other cultures there may not be a clear difference between children + adults

Question 7

what does Benedict say about childhood

Answer 7

• children in non-industrial/ rural societies are treated differently from their modern western counterparts;
  -they have more responsibility at home + work
• less value is placed on obedience to adult authority

Question 8

what does Punch say about childhood

Answer 8

• Bolivian children have to take responsibility at a young age by working at home and in the community

Question 9

what does Firth say about childhood

Answer 9

• in his study of Tikopia, doing as you are told by an adult is a right that is granted by children, and isnt expected by an adult

Question 10

what does Malinowski say about childhood

Answer 10

• Tobriand adult islanders took an attitude of tolerance and amusement towards children’s sexual activities

Question 11

quote Neil Postman

Answer 11

• Postman (1994): ‘childhood is disappearing at a dazzling rate’

Question 12

outline Postmans ideas of the disappearance childhood

Answer 12

• children/ young people are increasingly behaving, dressing, speaking like adults, even comitting ‘adult’ crimes like murder (e.g case of james bulger)- due to the fall in print media and replacement of tv culture
• young people are being increasingly more exposed to drugs. UK has one of the highest drug abuse rates in Europe
• social media, unlike print is a place where theres uncensored content which spoils children’s innocence and is to blame for mental health issues among the young. you dont need to be literate to consume online media

Question 13

what is Opie’s AO3 evaluation of Postman

Answer 13

• Opie: childhood isnt disappearing, as theres strong evidence of a separate children’s culture - in their games, songs, clothes
• for example, parents have control over children’s’ lives more than parents of adults’ lives (what they eat, wear, when they sleep etc)

Question 14

what does Postmodernists/ Jenks say about childhood

Answer 14

• Jenks (2005): childhood is changing - not disappearing
• in post modern society, modern relationships have become less stable, and so divorce / separation is more common
• due to this, parents’ relationships with their children become their main priority (not their significant other)
• with this, parents have become more proactive in protecting their kids from perceived dangers such as child abuse - resulting in further surveillance and regulation of children’s lives

Question 15

what is an AO3 evaluation for Jenks

Answer 15

• he makes a generalized statement that all couples in modern society are breaking up - which is not true
• not all separated parents respond to the separation with being more protective of the child

Question 16

outline the globalisation of western childhood

Answer 16

• the western norms of childhood are being globalised - a separate life stage, based around the nuclear family, children are innocent, dependent and vulnerable, have no economic role
• e.g. there are campaigns against child labour in developing countries - reflects western views about how childhood ‘ought’ to be

Question 17

what does Aries say about historical differences in childhood

Answer 17

• Aries: in the Middle Ages, ‘the idea of childhood didnt exist’ as children werent seen as different to adults past the stage of physical dependency
• soon after being weaned, children should enter society as workers - children were seen as mini adults - as the law made no distinction between child and adult
• however, in modern society, schools, education and books separately cater to adults and children - showing the modern ‘cult of childhood’

Question 18

what does Aries say about the development into the modern cult of childhood

Answer 18

• elements of the modern gradually began to emerge from the 18th century;
• schools came to specialize purely in the education of the young
• a growing distinction between child and adults clothing
• by the 1700s, there were handbooks on child care - a sign of growing child centeredness
• these developments culminate in the ‘cult of childhood’ where society has become obssessed with childhood

Question 19

whats an evaluation for Aries’ modern cult of childhood

Answer 19

• Pollock: it is more correct to say that in the middle ages, society simply had a different notion of childhood from todays

Question 20

outline 3 reasons for changes in the position of children

Answer 20

• the introduction of compulsory education (1880): the raising of the school-leaving age extended the period of dependency
• declining family size + lower infant mortality rates: has encouraged parents to be more financially and emotionally invested int he fewer children they now have
• change in laws: 1989 Children Act made the wellbeing of children the primary principle, laws for minimum ages for smoking, having sex, drinking etc are distinctualised
• other: child protection and welfare legislation, growth in the concept of children’s rights, the matter of children’s intellectual development became more informed upon

Question 21

outline Postman’s information hierarchy

Answer 21

• childhood emerged as a separate status from the 19th century due to the printed media creating an information hierarchy - a sharp division between adults who can read and children who cant
• this gave adults the power to keep knowledge about sex, money, violence, illness and death from children
• the rise in TV culture blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood as special skills arent needed to access content on it

Question 22

what is the march of progress/ functionalist view on the position of childhood

Answer 22

• the position of children in western societies has been improving
• Ares / Short: todays children are more valued, have more rights, are better cared for, better protected and have better healthcare
• E.g. the Gov spends more money on education than ever before, there are laws protecting the wellbeing of children
• the family and wider society have become more child-centered

Question 23

outline child-centred families

Answer 23

• child centred families = families with higher living standards and smaller family sizes - allows parents to pay for childrens needs better

Question 24

what does Palmer say about toxic childhood

Answer 24

• palmer (2007): children in the UK are experiencing ‘toxic childhood’ due to rapid cultural and technological changes that have damaged children’s physical, intellectual and emotional development - e.g. junk food, violent/oversexualised video games, growing emphasis of testing in schools
• average rates for obesity, drug abuse, self harm, violent behaviour have increased amongst the UK youth
• a UNICEF survey ranked the UK 16/29 for childrens well being

Question 25

what is an AO3 evaluation of the march of progress view on childhood

Answer 25

• Marxists and Feminists: the MoP view of childhood is based on a false and idealised image that ignores inequalities
• these conflict sociologists say that there are inequalities among children in terms of the opportunities and risks they face
• additionally, these inequality between adults and children are greater than ever - modern childhood consists of greater oppression, dependency and control

Question 26

outline the conflict view (marxism, feminism) of childhood

Answer 26

• they dispute the view that the position of children in society has improved
• society is based on conflict between different social groups in which some groups have more or less power

Question 27

outline Gitton’s concept of age patriarchy

Answer 27

• Gittons (1998): she uses the term ‘age patriarchy’ to describe the inequalities between adults and children
• there’s an age patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency

Question 28

outline the class inequalities among children

Answer 28

• W/C mums are more likely to give birth to low weight children, which may lead to delayed physical + intellectual development
• children born into poor families are more likely to die in infancy/ childhood

Question 29

outline the gender inequalities among children

Answer 29

• Hillman: B are more likely to be allowed to go out, cycle on roads
• Bonke: G do more domestic labour - esp in lone parent families, where G do 5x more housework than B

Question 30

outline the ethnic inequalities among children

Answer 30

• Brannen: study of 15/16yr olds found that Asian parents were more strict on their daughters
• Bhatti: ideas of izzit (family honour) are a restriction in girls’ behaviour in South Asian families

Question 31

outline how adults use their power according to MoP

Answer 31

• march of progress sociologists: adults use their power leverage for the protection of children - e.g. by passing laws against child labour

Question 32

what is an AO3 evaluation for the MoP view on adults’ use of power (Firestone + Holt)

Answer 32

• Firestone + Holt: many of the things that MoP sociologists see as care and protection are just new forms of oppression and control
• e.g. the ‘protection’ from paid work isn’t to benefit children but is a way to oppress and forcibly separate children
• there is a need to free children from adult control, thus ‘child liberationism’

Question 33

outline the neglect and abuse as a form of adult control

Answer 33

• adult control can take the form of neglect or physical/ sexual/ emotional abuse
• 2013: 43,000 children were subject to child protection plans because of their risk of harm from their parents
• ChildLine receives over 20,000 calls a year from children reporting abuse

Question 34

outline control over children’s space as a form of adult control

Answer 34

• children are highly regulated in Britain’s modern industrial society
• e.g. shops displaying signs ‘no school children’ and closer surveillance of children in public spheres

Question 35

outline control over children’s time as a form of adult control

Answer 35

• adults in modern society are able to control children’s daily routines. they control the speed at which children ‘grow up’
• A decide if CH are too young or old for certain activities, responsibilities or behaviours
• this is in contrast to Holmes’ findings that among Samoans; ‘too young’ is never an excuse for not doing a task

Question 36

outline control over children’s bodies as a form of adult control

Answer 36

• A exercise enormous amounts of control over CH’s bodies (e.g. how they dress, ear piercings, how they sit, hairstyles, how they touch their own bodies etc)
• CH’s bodies may be touched in certain ways by certain As; they are washed, dressed, heads patted + kissed, are cuddled and may be disciplined by smacking

Question 37

outline control over children’s access to money as a form of adult control

Answer 37

• in modern society, children can only earn money through very limited ways, due to labour laws, pocket money may depend on good behaviour
• this causes children to remain economically dependent on their parents

Question 38

what do Hockey and James say about the age patriarchy

Answer 38

• Hockey + James (1993): kids find this control oppressive, and so act against it by misbehaving

Question 39

what is an AO3 evaluation of the Liberationist’s concept of age patriarchy

Answer 39

• adult control is justified as kids need to be controlled as they cant make rational decisions / look after themselves
• although children are under adult supervision, they are not as powerless as Liberationists claim - e.g. the 1989 Children Act establish the principle that children have legal rights

Question 40

what does Mayall say about childhood

Answer 40

• Mayhall (2004): its dangerous to see children from an ‘adultist’ POV
• the view treats children as passive objects who have no role in creating their childhood
• instead, children are active agents in the creation of their childhood

Question 41

outline the concept of the ‘new sociology of childhood’

Answer 41

• it doesn’t see children as adults in the making but rather as active agents who play a major part in creating their own childhood

Question 42

how are children in control of their childhood

Answer 42

• Mason + Tipper: children create their own definitions of who is family - which may not include blood relatives - but more so those who are close to them
• Smart: in her study of divorce, she found that children were actively involved in trying to make the situation better for everyone