Childhood👶🏽 Flashcards
History & future childhood, change in position of child, conflict view
Ruth Benedict’s view on cross cultural differences in childhood
(Three differences)
- They take responsibility at an early age
- Less value placed on child’s obedience to adult authority
- Sexual behaviour is viewed differently
Aries view in childhood in the ‘Middle Ages’
The idea of childhood did not exist as they did not have different needs to adults when they passed infancy
What was childhood like in the ‘Middle Ages’?
After being weaned children entered wider society as they began work at an early age. They shared the same rights/duties/skills as adults
What elements of the modern notion of childhood emerged from the 13th century?
- Schools being purely for educating young people
- Growing distinction between children + adults clothing
- Handbooks on child rearing were widely available
Aries’ views on the modern ‘cult of childhood’
We have moved from a world that didn’t recognise childhood to one that is now obsessed with it
Evaluation of Aries’s work
Shows that childhood is socially constructed and how ideas about children and their social status has varied over time
Reasons for changes in the position of children
During the 19/20th century
- Laws restricting child labour/excluding children from paid work
- Introduction of compulsory schooling
- Laws + Policies applying to children
March of Progress view
The position in Western societies has been improving
Adults now use their power for the benefit and protection of the child
Child-centred family
- High-living standards/smaller family size = affording to look after the child properly
- children now the focal point of a family
Toxic childhood
- Rapid technological/cultural changes damage a child physically and intellectually
- Obesity drug and alcohol abuse and violence are major issues
The Conflict view
- Inequalities among children
- Inequalities between children and adults
- Control over time
- Control over bodies
- Control over resources
- Age patriarchy
Mason + Tipper - child definition
Children create their own definition on family including close friends
Children Liberationists
New approach draws attention to the fact that children lack power in relation to adults
Future of Childhood
Childhood has changed from pre-industrial to modern society. It will be expected to change continually
Neil Postman - childhood disappearing
Childhood is disappearing quickly
- children have the same rights as adults
- traditional unsupervised games are disappearing
- the clothes that they wear
- crimes that they are committing
Neglect and Abuse - statistics
In 2013 43,000 children were subject to child protection plans as they seemed to be at risk of significant harm
- indicating a ‘dark side’ to family life with children as victims
Controls over children’s space
- Children are told to play in certain areas and forbidden in others
- Close surveillance over children in public areas
- Parents fears of children being kidnapped lead to more children being driven to school
Cindi Katz (2004) - Sudan
Rural Sudanese children roam freely within the village and outside of it
Controls over time
Adults control what time children: - eat - sleep - go to school/come home - play - watch television Also how fast their child grows up as they decide what age the child is able to have responsibilities, do certain activities and their behaviour
Holmes’s Study
In the Samoan society ‘too young’ is not an excuse for a child not being able to take part in a particular task or activity
Controls over children’s bodies
They control how the child:
- sits
- walks
- what they wear/hairstyles/piercings
- may be able to touch their own bodies
Controls over children’s access to resources
In industrial societies children have limited opportunities to earn money due to their dependence on parents
- compulsory schooling = only part-time low paying jobs
- child benefits go to the parents not the child
- pocket money may be given for ‘good’ behaviour but what it can be spent on can be restricted
