childhood

Question 1

what is the western notion of childhood

Answer 1

-childhood is a special time of life
- children are fundamentally different from adults
- their lack of experience and knowledge means they need to be nurtured and protected

Question 2

pilcher (1995)

Answer 2

the most important part of childhood is separateness- childhood is a clear and distinct life stage and children have a separate status to adults

Question 3

benedict (1934)

Answer 3

childhood in simplistic non industrial societies are treated differently from their modern western counterparts

Question 4

Punch’s Bolivia study (2001)

Answer 4

• study in rural bolivia
• once children are five they are expected to take on responsibilities of work in the home and the community

Question 5

Firth Tikopia tribe study (1970)

Answer 5

• doing as your told by an adult is seen more as a concession to be granted by the child not a right to be expected

Question 6

how has western childhood been globalised

Answer 6

• international humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported and imported on the rest of the world that childhood should be a special life stage based on nuclear families and school

Question 7

aries (1960)

Answer 7

-in medieval europe the idea of childhood did not exist
- a child would enter society in the same way as a adult
- children were simply ‘mini adults’

Question 8

shorter (1975)

Answer 8

-parental attitudes towards children have chnaged
- historically children had high death rates meaning attitudes of indifference and neglect were more common

Question 9

changes in the position of children economically

Answer 9

• laws restricting and excluding children from payed work - economic liabilities now rather than assest

Question 10

when did schooling become compulsory

Answer 10

1880

Question 11

child protection and welfare legislation

Answer 11

1889- prevention of cruelty to children act
1989- children act- made the welfare of children fundamental principle

Question 12

donzelot (1977)- children’s medical development

Answer 12

theories of children’s development began to appear in the late 19th in medical facilities

Question 13

postman (1994)

Answer 13

argues childhood is ‘disappearing at a dazzling speed’

Question 14

why does postman say that childhood is disappearing?

Answer 14

• giving children the same rights as adults
• disappearance of traditional unsupervised games
• similarity between adults and children’s clothing
• similarity between adult activities

Question 15

postman criticism

Answer 15

opie and opie (1993) - childhood is not disappearing
- research shows there is strong evidence of the continued existence of a separate children’s culture
- belive postman over emphasises the impact of television on childhood

Question 16

what is television culture

Answer 16

postman believed tv does not require any special skill like reading does and makes information accessible to both children and adults alike- breaking boundaries

Question 17

postmodernist view jenks (2005)

Answer 17

• he does not think childhood is disappearing but it is changing
• in post modern society change is sped up and relationships become unstable and insecure- this means relationships between children and adults become more important

Question 18

child liberationalists

Answer 18

-believe western childhood is oppressive and it if far from disappearing- becoming globalised
-their world view is spreading to underdeveloped countries

Question 19

march of progress view

Answer 19

argues childhood in western societies has slowly been improving over the last few centuries
- aries and shorter agree that children are more valued and protected nowadays

Question 20

child centred family

Answer 20

• children are not longer ‘seen and not heard’ and are now the focal point of the family
• parents invest a great deal into their children emotionally and physically
• estimated by the time a child is 21 they will have cost their parents £227,000

Question 21

toxic childhood

Answer 21

palmer (2006) argues that changes to childhood have resulted in higher rates in obesity levels reduced concentration span and increased mental health problems

Question 22

margo and dixon (2006)

Answer 22

uk youth are at the top or near the top of international league tables for obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and teenage pregnancy

Question 23

toxic childhood evaluations

Answer 23

not all children are effected equally
womack (2007)recognises that some children don’t experience a toxic childhood

Question 24

future of childhood

Answer 24

childhood is becoming more isolated as families become smaller

Question 25

inequalities among children: nationality

Answer 25

90% of the worlds low birth weight babies are born in developing countries

Question 26

inequalities among children: gender

Answer 26

- hillman (1993) argued that boys are more likely to be allowed to go out unaccompanied at night - bonke (1999) found gurls do more domestic labour (5x boys)

Question 27

inequalities among children: ethnicity

Answer 27

asian parents were more likely to be strict towards their daughters

Question 28

inequalities among children: social class

Answer 28

poor mother are more likely to have low birth weight babies and are linked to delayed physical and intellectual development

Question 29

mayall (2004)

Answer 29

mayall (2004) calls an adult its viewpoint where children are viewed as ‘socialisation projects for adults to mold and develop’

Question 30

new sociology of childhood

Answer 30

doesn’t see children as adults in the making but sees children as active agents who create their own childhoods