childhood- has it improved? Flashcards
DeMause
The further back in history you go, the worse childhood gets.
Controversially stated that the ill-treatment of children led to adults who were war-like and aggressive, which allowed for groups like Nazi’s to exist.
Aries and Shorter
The ‘march of progress view’
-cult of childhood
-fertility rate is now better, so parents build connections with their children more.
IMR- infant mortality rate
1900- 154 per 1 000
Now- 4 per 1 000
Fertility rate
1860- 5.6
Now- under 1.5
Money spent on kids
£227 000 spent on kids until they are 21 years old
Palmer
‘Toxic childhood’
- technological advancement, while positive for adults, has led to children’s physical, emotional, and educational development being damaged
Rotherham Case Study
Between 1997 and 2013, 1 400 girls were sexually abused by groups of paedophiles.
Police and local authorities failed to protect these girls, even with reports being made.
Hillman
Boys are more likely to be allowed to go out after dark
Bonke
Girls do more chores than boys (5 hours more in single parent families)
Firestone and Holt
Actions for care and protection actually are a form of control over kids.
e.g. banned paid work means children are forced to be dependent.
Cunningham
8 year olds ‘home habitat’ has shrunk 9x from what it was 25 years ago
Katz
Rural sudanese children are allowed to roam freely
Gittens
The ‘Age Patriarchy’
-adult domination and children being dependent
Hockey and James
Children try and get away from their modern childhood status by:
‘acting up’- trying to seem older than their age/to be more like adults
or
‘acting down’- trying to seem younger to be cared for more
Mayall- new sociology of childhood
Shouldn’t take an ‘adultist’ point of view to children, shouldn’t see them as a ‘socialisation project’ for adults
