Childhood Flashcards
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: Pilcher
- childhood is a clear and distinct stage. They occupy separate status to adult adults known as separateness
- emphasised: laws regulating what children can do. For example, different clothing and products and services for example toys food et cetera.
- the view of childhood as a separate age. Status isn’t universal, it’s not in all societies.
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: wagg
- childhood is socially constructed. There’s no single universal childhood experience
- it’s not natural, should be distinguished from by biological immunity meaning or experience the same physical development but different cultures label this differently.
CHILDHOOD AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: punch
Study: children in rural Bolivia, when children were roughly 5, they are expected to take responsibility at home and in the community
CHILDHOOD AS SOCIAL. CONSTRUCT: globalisation of western childhood.
-International humanitarian and welfare agencies: imposed western norms on world as to what childhood should be nuclear family, school, innocent, dependent, no economic role
- for example campaigns against child labour-reflects in western views
CHILDHOOD AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: historical differences in childhood
Phillips aires:
STUDY: Used paintings and child rearing manuals Argued in middle ages, childhood didn’t exist it involved: Being short-after being weaned they entered society, worked from an early age and law didn’t distinguish children and adults
- Painting studied showed children dressed like adults and they did the same activities
CHILDHOOD AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: When did the modern motion of childhood emerge?
It emerged from the 13th century through evidence such as:
- Distinction includes and from the 18th century, there were child rearing books
Aires:
- These lead to modern cult of childhood
- Moved to a world obsessed with childhood
-The 20th century is a century of the child
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: A03 of aires study
The painting lacked validity, not as accurate as he thought or not representative
Pollock:
Childhood isn’t an invention. It’s just different from middle ages.
But it does show childhood as a social construct, therefore it’s valuable research
CHILDHOOD AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: reasons for changes in position of children
- Law restricts child labour children aren’t economic assets but their economic burdens.
- The introduction of compulsory schooling, children can increase their dependency on parents
- Children protection and welfare legislation for example the prevention of cruelty to children act 1889 and children act 1989-welfare of children is a fundamental principle behind the work of agencies for example social services.
FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD: Neil postman: the disappearance of childhood
- It’s disappearing at ‘ dazzling speed’
- Children have the same rights as adults, similarity of adults and children clothing
- Children are now committing adult crimes for example murder
FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD: INFORMATION HIERARCHY
- Printed Word: adults keep knowledge about sex, money, violence, illness, and death away from children
- Television blurs distinction destroying information hierarchy
- Unlike printed: TV doesn’t require a specialist skill to access
- Ignorance and innocence of childhood is replaced with knowledge and cynicism
FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD: opie a03
Argue, childhood isn’t disappearing he argues this based on a lifetime of research into children’s unsupervised games and rhyme. He argues their strong evidence of continued existence of a separate child culture over many years.
FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD: childhood in post-modernity
Jenks: childhood isn’t disappearing, but it’s changing society moves from maternity to post maternity
For example, divorce is becoming more common
- Generates insecurity children provide stability after divorce adults are now fearful of child protection therefore protect their child from danger for example child abuse
- This strengthens the idea that children are vulnerable and need protection
- More surveillance and regulation of their lives
- Therefore jenks argues childhood continues as a separate status
What is the debate between for the question of if the position of children has improved?
March of progress and conflict view
What view does March of progress hold regarding the position of children improving?
He believes the position of children is at the best it has been and therefore has improved
What does Aires believe regarding the position of children?
He holds the march of progress for he believes children of now valued better and cared for better et cetera than in previous generations for example children are now protected from harm and exploitation as there are laws against abuse and child labour professionals and specialists also care for their needs
Child centred family: HAS POSITION OF CHILDREN IMPROVED
March of progress sociologists argue:
- Better living conditions in smaller family means needs to be cared for better. Is estimated by their 21st birthday children cost parents £227,000 plus
- They argue the family is child scented, no longer seen and not heard as in the Victorian time. They are now the focal point and they are consulted for decision.
- Parents invest in children financially and emotionally and have high aspirations for them
A03 march of progress view of position of children improving
SUE PALMER: toxic childhood
- Rapid technology and cultural changes have damaged children’s emotional and intellectual development for example junk food, computer games and pressure in education
- Technology is not always bad, but we need to establish what’s good for children in small doses
- Parents should detox children for example playing with them outdoors
Conflicts views argument of position of children improving
Argued the march of progress is false and is based on image ignoring any inequalities. The conflict view holds two main ways that can be criticised.
Qualities faced by children: conflict view
Criticises the match of progress view due to this:
- Inequalities among children include: class, gender and ethnic differences
- Poor mothers are likely to have low birthweight babies. This is linked to delayed physical and intellectual development.
- inequalities between children and adult adults
Womack: inequalities faced by children: conflict view of position of children improving
- Children are unhappiest in the UK out of the west countries
- Children growing up in Britain are prone to bad mental and physical health, failure at school and have the poorest relationship relationships with friends and family than those in any other wealthy countries in the world
- Teen pregnancy is among the highest in Europe
Evidence to support this is the experience of family life for children in contemporary Britain may not be a happy one independency on adult adults-a few opportunities to escape unhappy family lives
Controls over children: conflicts view argument if children’s position has improved
Controls over children’s space:
- Including examples such as shop sign saying ‘ no school children’ this is increasingly close surveillance over children
Controls over children’s time :
- Modern society: controls when children eat, get up (daily routine)
- Modern society also controls the speed children grow up defining if they are too young or too old for activities, responsibilities and behaviours
Control over children’s access to resources :
- Label laws in compulsory schooling: exclude them from all/most marginal low paid part-time employment
- Children benefits go to parents not child
This contrasts with the relative freedom given to children in developing countries
A03: controls over children
Melanie Phillips: controls over children have reduced
- Culture of parenting in UK has broken down and the innocence of childhood has been undermined by two trends
1. Children have too many rights and powers which affects parenting. She believes children should be socialised to respect parents authority and she’s against the ban of smacking in public.
2. She’s worried the media is a bigger influence than parents for example music videos make them see themselves as a sexual being at a young age.
