childhood Flashcards
cross cultural differences
-Benedict ( 1934) : argues that children in simpler, non industrial societies are treated differently from their modern western
- they have more responsibility at home and work
-holmes :study of a Samoan village found that “too young” was never given as a reason for not permitting a child to undertake a particular task
-less value is placed on obedience to adult authority
-children sexual behaviour is often viewed differently
childhood in the west:
– seen as a special innocent time of life
- children are seen as fundamentally different from adults, as physically immature and not yet competent to run their own lives.
- as a result, they need a lengthy, protected period of nurturing and socialisation
- childhood is seen as a distinct life stage
> status of the ‘child’ is separate from the ‘adult’. Pilcher (1991) - key feature of the modern idea of childhood is separateness.
- Cunningham (2007) - children are seen as the opposite of adults. they have the right to happiness.
historical differences in childhood
Aries: idea of childhood did not exist
-children were not seen as having ‘nature’ from adults
-work began from an early age
-children were ‘mini adults’ with the same rights,duties and skills as adults.
modern notion of childhood
-schools began to specialise only in the education of the young
-church increasingly saw children as fragile ‘creatures of God’ needing discipline and protection from worldly evils
-there was a growing distinction between children’s and adult’s clothing, setting children apart from adults
Aries argues that this resulted in the emergence of the modern ‘cult of childhood’. the 20th century was ‘the century of the child’
why has the position of childhood changed
-laws banning child labour: 1840s onwards changed children from economic assets to economic liability– financially dependent on their parents
-compulsory schooling since 1880 has created a period of dependency on the family and has separated children from the adult world of work
-child protection and welfare laws: emphasises children’s vulnerability and made their welfare a central concern
the future of childhood
Postman: childhood is disappearing + children are becoming more like adults - gaining similar rights and acting in similar ways- e.g : clothing, crime
describe Postman’s print culture and television culture.
-Print culture: children lacked the literacy skills needed to access so adults could keep knowledge about sex, money ,violence,illness, death and other adult matters a secret from them.
-television culture: makes info available to adults and children alike. The boundary between adulthood and childhood is broken down and adult authority is weakened down.
criticism of postman
-Opie believes childhood is not disappearing: separate children’s culture exists in the form of games , songs joke
Others argue that western norms of what childhood should be are being exported globally
western childhood is not disappearing but spreading
childhood in postmodernity : jenks
-argues that modern society created childhood to prepare the individual to become a productive future adult- to achieve this the vulnerable undeveloped child needed to become nurtured and protected
childhood in postmodernity
-adult relationship become more unstable (e.g: divorce)
relationships with their children become adults last refuge from insecurity
they become even more fearful for their children’s safety-leading to even greater regulation of children lives.
march of progress view on children’s positions improving
-children’s position has steadily improved: family is becoming more child-centred
-children are now better cared for in terms of educational, psychological and medical needs.
-most babies now survive : infant mortality rate decreased
-higher living standards and smaller family sizes means parents can afford to provide for children’s needs
-children are protected from harm and exploitation by laws against child abuse and child labour
toxic childhood
Palmer: argues that rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical and intellectual development
- these changes range from junk food, computer games and intensive marketing
ex. children have poorer attention, poorer language, this is emphasised through rise of ADHD and autism - children struggle with communication
