Childhood Flashcards
Current status of children
-Society is seen as being child-centred
-Children’s needs are being placed above those of adults
-Children are growing up too fast or being part of ‘clipped-wing’ generation
Why has childhood changed?
-Compulsory and Higher Education
-Advances in technology
-Changing attitudes to relationships
-Media saturation and the role of capitalism
Compulsory and Higher Education
-Extension of compulsory education to 18= extended the period of dependency for children on their parents for financial support
-Removal of EMA and student grants= increased financial burden on parents for children
-More students staying at home to study to reduce costs
Technological changes
-Children have increased access to adult world through internet and greater connections with others through social media
-Children are consumers and producers of media in greater amounts
Changes to relationships
-Economic to romantic leads to children being seen as a product of emotional attachments
-Children remain a constant in a time of insecurity= more insecure relationships and movement to serial monogamy
-Needs of children outweigh the needs of the relationship
Role of capitalism
-Children are targeted by media as consumers
-Children’s TV, children’s internet sites, applications targeting children= carry advertising that promotes consumption of goods
-Children given higher status in society as they are active consumers of goods and will consume more than adults due to physical and emotional changes
Changes to size of family- child- centred
-More women are choosing to have less children
-23% of the population in 2019 were under the age of 19
Legislation- child centred
-More legislation introduced to protect the rights of children
-Children’s Act 1989- promoted the rights of children
-Extension of compulsory education to 18 and removal of housing benefits for under 25s extend parents’ financial responsibility
Role of media- child centred
-Parental fears about children are heightened by the media through moral panics about childhood and young adult behaviours
-Children’s media focuses on consumption of goods and marketing agencies actively target children and parents
Role of capitalism- child centred
-Pester power estimated to cost the average family £1,700 per year
-Clothing, food, toys and games, literature, music and subscription services are now common for children as cost of raising a children is estimated at around £150,000 per year
Evaluations of child centredness
-Not all children’s status is the same. Factors such as class, gender and ethnicity impact on a child’s status in family
-Womack suggest children in UK are unhappiest in developed world
Is childhood disappearing?
-Pilcher argues that childhood is a period of ‘separateness’ distinct from adult life
-Postman argued that childhood is disappearing and children were becoming more like adults in contemporary society
Sexualisation of children
-Children’s clothing ranges are adopting more adult themes, producing smaller versions of adult styles leading to a sexualisation of children
-Decrease in average age of first sexual intercourse
Toxic childhood
Palmer= many children are now suffering form toxic childhood syndrome (2015)
-Electronic media, poor diets and long hours in childcare have all negatively impacted on the experience of children
-Palmer= this has led to increase in mental health conditions and anti-social behaviours
Evaluations of childhood disappearing
-The ‘clipped wing’ generation and ‘boomerang’ children suggest young adults are often not prepared for the adult world
-Tosi and Grundy found almost 1/4 young adults were still living with their parents, the highest recorded since 1996
