Childhood Flashcards
What did Aries (1962) argue about childhood?
Aries argued that children were no longer physically dependent on their parents and that childhood did not extend beyond the age of 7.
In the medieval time there was an uncertainty regarding age. Aries argued that this made people see individuals in terms of their physical appearance, abilities and habits.
Critique of Aries
Pollock (1983) - critiques Aries for using paintings as his source of evidence and argues that such sources were unrepresentative of medieval society.
Wilson (1980) - argues that Aries is guilty of applying modern standards to past societies.
Childhood and industrialisation
Social attitudes towards children began to change in the 19th century. Laws were passed to exclude children from certain jobs. School became compulsory in 1880 meaning that school was common in most childhoods by the start of the 20th century.
A child centred 20th century
Chambers argues that children were seen by society as “special people with unique needs who need separate forms of treatment as well as protection.
Cunningham (2006) notes that
- childhood legally until 18 is regarded as the opposite of adulthood - children are viewed as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection.
- adults and children are physically and symbolically separated. Children occupy things such as school whereas they are exempt from adult work spaces.
- childhood is associated with certain rights. E.g the right to ‘happiness’, and to be ‘safe.’
Children and the state
Wells (2009) notes that the government is almost entirely organised around saving children from internal threats e.g neglect and abusive parents. Also external threats such as the things on the internet such as pornography.
Childhood based on gender
Feminist studies from Sharpe (1976), Oakley (1985) and Fine (2010) show that boys and girls are socialised on cultural expectations about masculinity and femininity. Girls and boys have different experiences of childhood such as the toys they play with and the activities they do. McRobbie (2000) also suggests that girls experience of childhood may differ from boys as parents see them as innocent need of greater protection of the outside world.
Childhood and social class
Lareau (2011) found that the experiences of middle class childhood was based on the parents. E.g such parents enrolling their children to extra curricular activities like sports and arts. In contrast Lareau believed that working class parents saw that if they provided their children with love, food and safety the child would grow up well and all rounded.
Ethnicity + religion and childhood
Ghuman (2003) found that religion had a big impact on childhood for many Asians. E.g many Muslim children spent their Saturday mornings at the mosque.
However it is important to realise that children in the White majority group have also had their childhood affected by religious beliefs. E.g Roman Catholics families would go to church on Sundays.
O’Brien et Al (2000) found that ‘race’ and gender often interact to have a negative impact on the experience of childhood. E.g Asian parents being more strict on young females rather than males.
