Childhood Flashcards
Who talks about childhood as a social construction?
Cunningham
Why is childhood a social construction?
Meaning behind childhood and status of children in society isn’t fixed but differs between different times, places and cultures
What proof is there for social construction?
- Gender role socialisation/child abuse
- Not a universal experience
How is gender role socialisation and child abuse proof of social construction?
Evidence that girls subjected to stricter social controls from parents, compared with boys when they reach adolescence
- Some childhood experience may be damaging - diff types of child abuse: neglect, sexual, physical and emotional abuse
- Up to 30,000 children on child protec register due to risk of abuse from family
How is ‘not a universal experience’ proof of social construction?
Less developed nations: extremely diff experience from industrialized
> constantly at risk of early death bc of poverty and lack of basic health care, clean water and sanitation, unlikely access to education and may take on jobs (adult roles)
How does the experience of childhood differ across religious groups in addition to ‘not a universal experience’?
Strong evidence that children in Muslim, Hindu and Sikh families generally feel a stronger sense of obligation and duty to their parents than white western children
- intergenerational conflict less likely/more likely to be hidden
What are the 3 characteristics of childhood?
- opposite of adulthood
- children seen to be in need of protection, right not to work and be dependent on adults - World of adult and world of child kept separate
- home and school regarded as ideal places for children, banned from adult spaces like workplaces - Children were seen to have the right to happinerss
What is the golden age?
Idea of childhood as a golden age of happiness and innocence
- innocence means children are seen as vulnerable and in need of protection from the dangers of the adult world thus must be separated from it
Who talks about view of childhood as a separate age status not being found in all societies?
Wagg
What does Wagg argue?
Childhood socially constructed there’s not one single universal experience of childhood
- means while all humans go through the same physical process of ageing, diff societies construct/define this process diff
What are reasons for changes in position/status of children?
- Laws restricting child labour and excluding children paid work
- Process of industrialisation
What laws were put in place for children?
- Intro to compulsory schooling (1988)
- 1989 children act (1889 prevention of cruelty to children act)
- Children act (2004)
What did the intro to compulsory schooling (1988) consist of?
Raised school leaving age and recent government policies to keep children in full time education or training until the age of 18 had extended this period of dependency
What did the 1989 children act/ 1889 prevention act do?
Made child welfare a fundamental principle underpinning the work of agencies such as social services
- growth of the idea of children right
- children act defines parents as having ‘responsibilities’ rather than ‘rights’ in relation to children
Why was there laws of restricting child labor and excluding children from paid work?
Children became an economic liability by being financially dependent on their families rather than an economic asset
What did the children act (2004) do?
Produced the influential policy Every Child Matters
- focuses on the wellbeing of children and young people from birth to 19
- Stresses ‘better outcomes’ for children like: healthiness, staying safe, achieving economic wellbeing’
- Children now seen by state as individuals with rights
How is the process of industrialisation a factor in changing childrens position?
Modern industry needs an educated workforce hence compulsory schooling
- higher living standards and better welfare provision made possible by industry = lower mortality rate
What is the march of progress view of childhood?
Over past few centuries, position of children in western societies improved, better than ever
- Aries and Shorter
- todays children more valued, better cared, protected educated etc.
- reference to child protection laws
Why has child centredness come about?
Improved living standards: wages, housing, nutrition etc = major decline in IMR
- no need for lots of children to ensure few survived
- Affluent society = less need for children as economic assets - children became expensive
- increased availability and efficiency of contraception = people can have less children
What about culture and the state expectations of childhood?
Media defined childhood/adolescence separately from adulthood
- childhood: special time for love, socialization and protection to parents
- State supervises children thru protection and socialization
> compulsory schooling lasting 11 yrs
- Social services police families putting children at risk
- government takes economic responsibility thru child benefits to parents
What do critics say against child centredness?
Marxists and feminists argue society based on conflicts between different social groups
- some groups have more power, status or wealth than others
- conflict sociologists see the relationship between groups as one of domination and subordination
- dominant group: oppressor
What do interpretivists say about childhood?
Point out that the relationships between parents and children is a 2 way process
- in which the latter can do influence the nature and quality of family life
- Morrow found that children didn’t want to make decisions for themselves but did want a say in what happened to them
What does the conflict view say for childhood?
- inequalities among children in terms of opportunities and risks they face:
> many today remain unprotected and badly cared for - Inequalities between children and adults greater than ever:
> children today experience greater control, oppression and dependency (not greater care and protection)
What are inequalities among children?
Children of different nationalities likely to experience different childhoods and different life chances
- 90% of the worlds low birth weight babies are born in 3rd world
What do sociologists say about advertising towards children?
Alarmed by it
- note that 7-11 yr old’s worth about £20 million a year as consumers
- advertisers have encouraged children to use ‘pester power’ to train or manipulate their parents to spend money on them in return for live and status
What is meant by new sociologist of childhood?
Children: active agents playing a major part in creating their own childhoods rather than passive
- Smart: children need to be included in the study of childhood, to understand childhood
- Mayall: sociologists need to focus on the present tense of childhood from a Childs perspective
