Childhood

Question 1

Define social construct and how does it apply to childhood?

Answer 1

Something that is defined by society doesn’t have a fixed definition as it depends time period, place and culture

Question 2

Give 3 western differences between adults and children

Answer 2

Laws - consent, drinking, driving etc
Education - compulsory until 18
Censorship - watershed and TV PINS

Question 3

How is childhood different in other cultures with 2 examples

Answer 3

Child soldiers in 21 countries

Lack of education for girls

Question 4

What did Punch investigate?

Answer 4

Went to Bolivia and found that children as young as 5 have responsibilities at home and in the community

Question 5

Give 2 facts on Bolivia

Answer 5

That 10 is the age of employment

And that they are trying to fuel their industrial revolution

Question 6

What did Firth find out?

Answer 6

That in Tikopia, children can choose whether to do what an adult says

Question 7

What does ethnocentric mean and how does it apply to childhood?

Answer 7

Ethnocentric - believing your country’s view is the only correct one
Which is what some western countries do when judging developing countries’ cultures

Question 8

Briefly outline Aries’ study

Answer 8

He believes that childhood didn’t exist in the Middle Ages and that children were just treated as ‘miniature adults’. Then in the 20th century the ‘cult of the child’ was created by child rearing handbooks, changes in clothing and the church.

Question 9

What evidence did Aries use and why did Pollock criticise it?

Answer 9

He used secondary sources like diaries, paintings and documents. Pollock says as the only art preserved from the Middle Ages is from wealthy people Aries’ evidence is not representative.

Question 10

Who thought the printing press created childhood?

Answer 10

Postman

Question 11

How did the printing press create childhood,

Answer 11

People were illiterate so people communicated through word of mouth and town speakers which children had no protection from. The 15th century printing press meant there was higher literacy rates in adults but not children so there was a divide in knowledge.

Question 12

Give 3 causes for child centredness

Answer 12

Lower infant mortality rate
Laws like the Children Act 1989
Shorter working week

Question 13

What is the belief that society is steadily improving called?

Answer 13

March of Progress View

Question 14

What did Lloyd De Mause say about childhood?

Answer 14

That childhood used to be a “nightmare” as in the past children were much more likely to be killed, abandoned, beaten and sexually assaulted

Question 15

Who criticised De Mause and described childhood as ‘toxic’?

Answer 15

Palmer

Question 16

What evidence is there that childhood is toxic?

Answer 16

Increased in self harm and suicide due to a decrease in family stability
Electronic babysitters such as TVs or phones as parents are too busy now

Question 17

Who spoke of gender inequalities in children? + what did they say?

Answer 17

Hillman. They said that boys have more freedom and take more risks than girls who are encouraged to stay in the home

Question 18

What did Bonke and Woodroffe say in childhood inequality?

Answer 18

They said that there are class inequalities.
Bonke said poor mothers are more likely to have low birth weights which lead to delayed physical and intellectual development. 
Woodroffe said unskilled manual workers are 4 more times more likely to have a child with learning difficulties

Question 19

What is child liberationism and who spoke of it?

Answer 19

Firestone and Holt have the belief that children are dominated and oppressed by adults as shown by 20000 calls to childline per year

Question 20

Who described the age patriarchy?

Answer 20

Gittens believes adults keep children subordinate and economically dependent

Question 21

What are the 4 ways adults have control over children?

Answer 21

Neglect and abuse

Children’s time - routines or limits on activities

Children’s space - can’t leave school, can’t travel alone, specific child areas

Children’s bodies - clothing, hair or piercings, not allowing masturbation or sucking your thumb

Resources - compulsory schooling means no wage, under 16s don’t earn the same so are dependent on parents

Question 22

Give a statistic that supports Palmer’s toxic childhood

Answer 22

3.7 million children live in poverty

Question 23

Who argues childhood is disappearing and for what reason?

Answer 23

Postman - said there used to be an information hierarchy where only adults could read so children were censored from pornography, crime or violence. However TV doesn’t involve a skill to access so now everyone is exposed to it so children are no more innocent than adults.

Question 24

Give a strength and a weakness of Postman’s theory

Answer 24

• Tv can still be censored with parental locks

+ a study showed 11-16 year olds were very concerned by climate change and terrorism

Question 25

How does Jenks disagree with the idea of childhood disappearing and what theory is he a part of?

Answer 25

Postmodernist - says childhood is changing not disappearing due to a lack of stability and fear of risk laws are put in place to protect and separate children from adults.

Question 26

Give a strength and a weakness of Jenks’ study

Answer 26

• used a very small sample may not be representative of all children
  + Children’s Act 1989 and 2004

Question 27

What are the 5 key words for the Children’s Act of 1989?

Answer 27

Welfare 
Responsibility (for parents)
Partnership (between parents and state)
Participation (take children’s wishes into account)
Protection

Question 28

What is the aim of the ‘New sociology of childhood’?

Answer 28

To see children as playing an active role in their own childhood and conducting research directly with children.

Question 29

Give 2 different studies showing children are not ‘passive objects’ for the New Sociology of Childhood

Answer 29

Smart - found children are actively involved in divorce and their viewpoints are seen as important

Mason and Tipper - children make their own family from Fictive Kin sometimes rather than blood relations