Childhood - Introduction Flashcards
What is childhood viewed as?
An early stage of human physiological and psychological development
What is childhood considered to be in contemporary British society?
A distinctive stage in life that is experienced before adulthood
Social construct
Certain things have been created or defined by society, rather than as a natural biological development
What is childhood described as by sociologists?
As a social construct
Why do sociologists believe childhood is a social construct?
Because the responsibility, laws, treatments and status of children vary between different cultures, vary in the same society and have changed over time
Period of childhood in European societies
It’s longer than any other society
Period of childhood is non-European and developing countries
Much shorter than that of European societies
When do some children take on adult roles in non-European and developing countries?
As soon as they are physically able to do so
According to the International Labour Organisation in 2015, how many children (aged 5-14) were involved in child labour?
Approximately 150 million
Where did the largest number of children involved in child labour come from?
Africa and China
What are children in African countries such as Somaliland, Uganda, Chad and Congo used as?
Child soldiers
How many child soldiers are estimated to be in the world today?
250,000
What factors in contemporary British society result in many people experiencing different childhoods?
Social class, ethnicity and gender inequalities
Out of girls and boys, who will have a more restricted childhood?
Girls will have more restricted childhood than boys
According to Government statistics, what percentage of children in 2014 are defined as poor?
27%
