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Sociology P2 - Families & Households > Childhood > Flashcards

Childhood Flashcards

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1
Q

What is childhood?

A

Sociologists see childhood as socially constructed
- something created and defined by society

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2
Q

Is the position children occupy in society fixed?

A

No- it differs in time, place and culture
Compare Western idea of childhood todays past in other societies

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3
Q

What is social construction?

A

Human characteristics made by the society we grow up in
- people’s behaviour moulded by surroundings

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4
Q

What is biological determinism?

A

Most human characteristics, physical and mental, are determined at conception by hereditary factors passed from parent to offspring
DNA/genetics

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5
Q

Who/what gives historical evidence that childhood is a social construct?

A

1- Aries ‘cult of childhood’
2- Age of leaving education UK
3- Age of marriage UK
4- Pitcher

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6
Q

Aries cult of childhood

A
  • children were represented as mini adults
  • CH didn’t exist
  • Middle Ages expected to act in adult way exposed to information
    Contemporary society
  • not natural or inevitable
  • less infant mortality
  • parents invest more time
  • nuclear family took form
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7
Q

Age of leaving education UK

A

Britain moved from 12-18 in the last century
- socially unacceptable and illegal to leave school and work full time at the age of 12

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8
Q

Age of marriage UK

A

1929- rose to 16
12, girls 14, boys
England and Wales needed parental permission
- age at which childhood ends and adulthood begins

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9
Q

Pitcher

A

Separateness of CH from other life phases
- children have different rights and duties from adults
- regulated/protected by special laws
Girls want sex just as much as boys
- start having sex at a very young age
G, 6-10 B, 10-12

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10
Q

Who/what give cross cultural evidence that childhood is a social construct?

A

1- Wagg
2- Punch
3- Katz
4- Benedict

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11
Q

Wagg

A

Construction of CH varies across historical/cultural societies
- cross cultural differences
- children not always seen as vulnerable, can have a similar status to adults

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12
Q

Punch

A

Bolivia
- children in countryside given responsibilities and work at 5
- contrasts Western attitudes towards child labour that have developed since industrialisation

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13
Q

Katz

A

Sudanese children have far more freedom to explore/travel round their local area compared to Western

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14
Q

Benedict

A

1- responsibility at an earlier age
Holmes, Samoan village, children never too young to perform a task
2- less value placed on child showing obedience
Firth, Tikopia, doing as your told isn’t a right to be expected by an adult
3- children’s sexual behaviour viewed differently
Malinowski, Trobiand islanders, ‘islanders seem like case study in ultimate consequences of sexual revolutions

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15
Q

What did Aries do?

A

Looked at paintings
Medieval- took the role of an adult as soon as it was physically able
‘mini adults’
Industrialisation- children valued, needed specialised care and nurturing
- reinforced role of the housewife

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16
Q

How does Pollack criticise Aries?

A

Says Aries work looks weak because it uses paintings for its main evidence

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17
Q

What did Ennew argue?

A

That humanitarian welfare work is often based on the belief that Western childhood is the ‘correct childhood’
- idea that childhood should be a separate, more innocent stage of life can be projected through this work on cultures that may have different views on the needs of children

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18
Q

What is meant by the globalisation of Western childhood?

A

Children in less industrialised societies are often treated differently to children living in Western societies
- ideas of Western childhood are projected onto different cultures

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19
Q

Why is the concept of Western childhood ethnocentric?

A

Believe that everyone else is wrong
- criticised for holding back their independence

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20
Q

What 4 reasons are responsible for the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

1- Declining family size/lower infant mortality rate
2- Industrialisation
3- Child protection and children’s rights
4- Laws restricting child labour and other activities
5- The introduction of compulsory schooling

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21
Q

How did Declining family size and lower infant mortality rate lead to the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

Encouraged parents to make a greater financial and emotional investment in the fewer children that they now have
Emotional not Economic

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22
Q

How did industrialisation lead to the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

Shift from agriculture to production as the basis of economy
- modern industry needs educated workforce
- requires compulsory schooling of the young
- higher standards of living/better welfare provision that industry makes possible, leads to lower infant mortality rate
- changed status of children

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23
Q

How did Child protection and children’s rights lead to the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

Protection/welfare legislation
1889- prevention of cruelty act
1989- children act made the welfare of the child the fundamental principle underpinning the work of agencies such as social services
- defines parents as having ‘responsibilities’ over ‘rights’ in relation to children
- UN convention lay down basic rights
- healthcare, education, protection from abuse
- participation in decisions affecting the, (custody case)

24
Q

How did laws restricting child labour and other activities lead to the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

> excluding children from paid work
- economic assets to economic liability
- financially dependent on their parents
- minimum wages, sex & smoking
- reinforced idea that children are different to adults so different rules must apply to their behaviour

25
Q

How has compulsory schooling lead to the ‘creation of childhood’?

A

In 1880, had a similar effect, especially for children of the poor
(MC/UC) already received an education
- raising of school leaving age has extended this period of dependency

26
Q

Could childhood be worse?

A
  • abuse
  • divorce
  • technology over attention (playing)
  • beauty pageants
  • both full time parents, less care and attention
27
Q

What is the conventional approach to childhood?
- NR and functionalist

A

Sees children as a vulnerable group, both under threat from and in need of protection from adult society
- successful childrearing requires 2 parents of the opposite sex
- ‘right’ way to bring up a child
- blame working and single mothers/inadequate parents for social problems such as delinquency

28
Q

What 2 ways is the ‘innocence’ of childhood being undermined according to Phillips?

A

1- The media such as pop music videos encourages young girls to sexualise themselves at an earlier age
2- They do not have emotional maturity to cope with the rights and choices they have
(self harm, depression, eating disorders)

29
Q

What are the consequences of these 2 trends?

A

1- Girls encouraged to see themselves as sexual beings at much younger ages through using clothes and make up
2- Increase in social problems such as self harm, depression and eating disorders, childhood is getting shorter

30
Q

How can ‘children as consumers’ undermine parental authority?

A

Encourages ‘pester power’
- train/manipulate their parents into spending money on consumer goods
- increases the status of their children in the eyes of their peers
- marketing makes rebellion look ‘cool’
- increased antisocial behaviour

31
Q

What is meant by the ‘Golden Age’ of childhood?

A

Commentators go back to their childhood which they view as much less pressurised and complex
- shift into a more consumer-orientated society
- resulted in children cynically manipulating their parents in order to buy consumer goods

32
Q

What concept does Postman discuss?

A

The disappearance of childhood

33
Q

Key points on Postman and the ‘disappearance of childhood’

A
  • ‘disappearing at dazzling speed’
  • similarity of clothing, committing ‘adult’ crimes (murder)
  • print culture, TV culture, more exposure, less mystery
  • Middle Ages, illiterate, speech only skill needed for adult world, NO div
  • A and C style indistinguishable
34
Q

What did Postman mean by the information hierarchy?

A
  • CH separate status mass literacy from the 19th century
  • printed words create IH
  • adults can read, children cannot
  • power to keep knowledge sex, violence, money
  • mysterious creating innocence
  • TV no skill required, exposure cynicisms
  • Adult authority diminishes
35
Q

What are the criticisms of Postman?

A

X children are a major force in the market place
- indicates that they remain a distinct group
Iona Opie
- strong evidence distinct/separate culture
(GAMES, RHYMES, SONGS)

36
Q

What concept does Palmer discuss?

A

Toxic childhood

37
Q

What are the key point of toxic childhood?

A

C suffering, CH experiences pollutes by technology
- lifestyle choices/modern world
- less time reading, deprived of what they need most, time
- ‘electronic babysitter’
- junk food to keep them quiet
- dire warnings
- distractible, impulsive, self-obsessed, less able to enjo life, learn, thrive socially
- sees is as threatening

38
Q

What are the criticisms of Palmer?

A

X parents lives are more child centred than the past
X TV, computer games are a resource but not dominant
X less change in the 21st century than previous generations
X opportunity of expansion of mind, knowledge, mental development
X essential to read and write

39
Q

Is childhood getting better?
Functionalists and the march of progress
SHORTER

A

Society has a functional need for better-educated citizens and lower infant mortality rates, so school leaving age has increased and child protection has been improved

40
Q

What is the March of Progress view?

A

Men and women have more equality in the responsibilities they share within the family
- for CH is it getting better or has it worsened

41
Q

`Social class differences in childhood

A

Children from poorer families are more likely to have lower birth weight
- delays physical and intellectual development
- more likely to die in infancy, long term illnesses
- fall behind at school
- placed on child protection register

42
Q

Ethnicity differences in childhood

A

BRANNEN
- Asian parents much stricter towards children, particularly girls
BHATTI
- ideas on family honour in some cultures could restrict behaviour of children, particularly girls

43
Q

Gender differences in childhood

A

HILLMAN
- boys are more likely to be given freedom by families
- go out after dark
BONKS
- girls more likely to do more domestic labour
- especially in lone parent families

44
Q

What is post modernists Jenks view?

A

Childhood is changing, not disappearing
PM society- relationships are less stable, more family breakdown
- changes the relationship adults have with their children
- more protective and fearful for their child’s security
- resulting in greater regulation of children’s lives

45
Q

What evidence is there of greater regulation of children’s lives?

A

Over-compensating
- ‘helicopter parenting’/paranoid
- feel guilty and become too involved
- apps on phone, tracking a child’s messages

46
Q

Why has Jenks been criticised for overgeneralising?

A

They are assuming all families have broken down and become less stable
- does not apply to all families
- some parents are like it without having a relationship break down or the complete opposite

47
Q

What concept does Gittins discuss?

A

Age patrairchy

48
Q

What is the age partriarchy?

A

Describes the inequalities between adults and children
Adult domination and child dependency
- adults exert more control over girls than boys

49
Q

What 6 ways can an adult dominate a child?

A

1) Bodies
- clothes, hair, piercings, nose picking
2) Time
- School, clubs, screens, speed of growing up, too young to do things
3) Space
- restricting movements, lifts to school, child free zones
4) Resources
- child benefit goes to parents
- pocket money for good behaviour
5) Neglect/abuse
- 20,000 plus calls to child line a year
6) Child labour laws
- Firestone argues this keeps children dependent

50
Q

How does liberationist views criticise the age patriarchy?

A

The need to free children form adult control

51
Q

How can we criticise the liberationist view?

A

Children have less knowledge, experience and understanding of the wider world
- need to be guided by adults in order to protect them as the outside world is dangerous

52
Q

What is the new sociology of childhood?

A

A social action view
- rather than looking at CH as socially constructed by society an adults
- consider the role that children play in shaping their own childhoods

53
Q

What des MAYALL mean by the ‘adultist view’?

A

It sees children as mere ‘socialisation projects’ for adults to mould, shape and develop
- no interest in themselves but on what they will become in the future

54
Q

How does MASON and TIPPER see children as active in creating an understanding of the family?

A

They show how children actively create their own definitions of who’s ‘family’
- may include not ‘proper’ aunts or grandfathers etc but who they regard as close

55
Q

What does SMART say about children and divorce?

A

That children were far from passive victims and actively involved in trying to make the situation better for everyone

56
Q

Why is it important to use methods such as unstructured interviews with children in these studies?

A

They empower children to express their own views and allow researchers to see the world from a child’s point of view

Sociology P2 - Families & Households (13 decks)

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