Childhood

Question 1

What is the modern Western notion of childhood?

Answer 1

• It is regarded that children are fundamentally different than adults.
• Children are psychologically and physically immature and are unable to run their own lives.
• They need lengthy nurturing and socialisation before becoming an adult with responsibilities.
  -Childhood is seen as the Golden Age of happiness and innocence - they’re vulnerable and need protecting.
• They, therefore, live largely in the sphere of families and education.
  Children largely lead lives of leisure and play and are excluded from paid work.

Question 2

Jane Pitcher (1995)

Answer 2

• The most important feature of the modern perception of childhood is seperateness.
  -Childhood is seen as a distinct life stage and children occupy a different status to adults in our society.
• This seperate status is seen in clothes, toys, food, books, entertainment and play areas etc.

Question 3

Stephen Wagg

Answer 3

‘Childhood is socially constructed. It is, in other words, what members of particular parties, at particular times, in paticular places, say it is. There is no single universal childhood, experienced by all. So, childhood isn’t “natural” and should be distinguished from mere biological immaturity.’.

Question 4

Benedict (1934)

Answer 4

• Argues that children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their Western, modern counterparts.

Question 5

Punch (2001)

Answer 5

• Looked at children in Bolivia and found that, at the age of 5, children are expected to work in the home and outside too.

Question 6

Holmes (1974)

Answer 6

• In a Samoan Village in 1974, Holmes found that they had no concept of children being ‘too young’ to work and carry out tasks.

Question 7

Firth (1936)

Answer 7

• In the Tikopia tribe of the Pacific, Firth found that children only did what they were told if they wanted to - it was not automatic.

Question 8

Malinowski (1979)

Answer 8

• Studied the Trobriand Islanders and found that they allowed children to explore sexuality and did not try to prevent them or sheild them in any way.

Question 9

Why do some sociologists argue that the notion of Western childhood is being globalised?

Answer 9

• International Humanitarian and Welfare agencies have exported and imposed on the rest of the world, Western norms on what a childhood should be.
• A seperate life-stage, based in the nuclear family and school, in which children are innocent, dependent and vulnerable and have no economic role.

Question 10

What are some child labour laws around the world?

Answer 10

• India, Child Labour Act 1986 prohibits employment of children below 14 years.
• UK, children prohibited to be employed if below 14 years, during term time, children can only work a maximum of 12-hours per week.
• China, children cannot work before they’re 16, however, approximately 7% of children between the ages of 10-15 work in te country.
• Somalia, 9.5% of children aged 5-14 are working in the country.

Question 11

Aries (1960)

Answer 11

• Argued that in the Middle Ages (10th-13th Century), the idea of childhood didn’t exist.
• Children entered into the wider world shortly after weaning.
• The law did not distinguish between them, with children facing the same punishments as adults.

Question 12

Shorter (1975)

Answer 12

• Argued that high death rates encouraged indifference and neglect, especially towards infants.

Question 13

What did Aries note about childhood coming forwards post-13th century?

Answer 13

• Schools came to specialise in the education of the young - this reflected the influence of the church.
• There was growing distinction between children’s clothing and adult’s clothing.
• By the 18th century, books on childrearing were widely available - a sign of the growing child-centredness in family life.

Question 14

Reasons for changes in the position of children

Answer 14

• Laws restricting child labour and excluding children from paid work.
• Introduction of schooling in 1880 (England).
• Child protection and welfare legislation e.g. Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act, 1889.
• Growth of the idea of children’s rights e.g. UN
• Declining family size and lower infant mortality rate, this has encouraged parents to make a greater investment (financial and emotional) in the fewer children tehy do have.
• Laws and policies that apply specifically to children e.g. minimum age for drinking, smoking etc.

Question 15

Industrialisation and its impact on childhood

Answer 15

• The shift from agricultural to factory production led to most of the changes.
• E.g. society needs an educated work force and so education/compulsory schooling was essential.
• Higher standard of living and better welfare provision lead to a lower infant mortality rate.

Question 16

Postman (1994)

Answer 16

• Argues that childhood is disappearing.
• The trend of giving children the same rights as adults, the disappearance of children’s traditional and unsupervised games, the similarities in child and adult clothing and even children commiting adult crimes e.g. murder.
• During the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate and speech was the only skill required to excel in the adult world.
• Childhood emerged as a seperate status along with an uprising in literacy from the 19th century onwards.

Question 17

According to Postman, how do the TV/Media blur the lines between adulthood and childhood?

Answer 17

• By destroying information hierarchies and creating things such as Facebook and Pornhub.
• TVs and Websites do not require much skill to access therefore making it easily accessible for aduts and children alike.
• The boundary between adukthood and childhood is broken down, adult authority diminishes and the ignorance of the innocence of childhood is replaced by knowledge and cynicism.

Question 18

Opie (1993)

Answer 18

• Opposed Postman and said that childhood is not disappearing.
• Looks into unsupervised games/rhymes/songs and argues that there is still a distinct difference.