Childhood Flashcards
Childhood is not a social construct
Biology-childhood is made up of several stages of a persons life trough out which the body goes through many physical changes each bringing individual closer to adulthood
Evidence for childhood is a social construct
In Uganda children have family until kidnapped under ro cruel treatment,forced to do labour with military style training,beaten raped and physically punished whereas in Uk children live with family happily and have to go school from 5-16 with free healthcare.
Historical changes
Children in uk have experienced different treatment and experiences through history.Therefore with time our ideas about how children should behave have changed.If it wasn’t socially constructed children throughout history would’ve been treated the same
Aries
Study found that children were seen and treated as little adults in medieval Europe due to high morality rates children were seen as an economic assets-wages important to benefit family.
Idea of childhood in 19the century changed,seen as opposite laws had been passed ro private’s children from work,associating childhood with happiness,since then children are an economic liability but emotionally priceless.
Century of the child
Growing awareness of children’s rights and empowerment.children are seen as active family members and make more of a democratic contribution through the family m.forming an economic force through pester power
Changing relationships between children and parent
Status of children has improved.In pay parents had full control over children,they were allowed to beat them
However today children have an equal status with their parents.e.g have a say in family decision making.This proves childhood is a social construct because social attitudes have changed
Changing position in wider society
Laws preventing them from working no longer economic asset.
- Child protection and welfare legislation such as children acted 1989
- Un defined children’s right to education protection from abuse right to make decision in custody case
Firestone and Holt
Children are unequal as parents have protection from paid work makes them dependent on parents.children are controller in a number of ways:
Neglect and abuse-indicates the dark side of family life in which children are victims
Space-stranger danger driven to school
Bodies-how they sit,walk,wear
Access to resources-pocket money depends on good grades etc
Hockey and James
Children want to escape from childhood because it is oppressive
-they escape through a acting up(swearing drinking make up clothes or sexy) or acting down(behaving like babies)
Furedi
Parents worried about their safety that they prevent them from playing outside or going on trips,as a result children spend their time indoors playing console games eating junk food and not developing social skills damaging their development and experience of childhood
Aries-IMPROVED CHILDHOOD
Today children are more valued better cared for and educated
Takes a march of progress view
Family and society have become child centred parents invest emotional work time and money into their children
Much of media output and leisure activities are designed for children
Improved for some.(Hillman,Brannen,Woodroofe,Howard)
Gender-hullman-boys have more freedom(curfew)
Ethnicity-Brannen-Asian Keene’s rend to be more strict
Class-Woodroofe-w/c more likely to suffer behavioural disorders.
Howard-illness,educational failure and child protection register due to material dep
Evil:not improved for all
Postman
Informational hierarchy death of childhood
Qvortup
Childhood is disappearing because of falling birth rates
As fewer children are born there is lesser need for investment into children’s resources such as school etc
Also childhood will become isolated experiences as there will be fewer children in neigbohrhood
Sue palmer
toxic childhood
