childhood is a social construct

Question 1

modern western childhood

Answer 1

• children have a separate status from adults
• seen as physically and psychologically immature
• e.g. age restrictions on driving, etc.
• childhood seen as ‘golden age’ of innocence so need to be protected
• sphere of family and education protects them from outside world

Question 2

cross cultural differences

Answer 2

• childhood different in non-industrial societies
• responsibility at an early age, e.g. in bolivia children work from age of 5
• children’s sexual behaviour viewed differently, e.g. more teen mothers
• less division between adults and children in non-western cultures

Question 3

historical differences

Answer 3

• children previously seen as ‘mini adults’, took responsibility at age 7
• helped out with household tasks and were criminally responsible - could be punished for crimes
• evidence from art from that period - children dressed same as adults + worked and played together
• not protected - high death rates encouraged neglect towards infants, e.g. parents forget how many children they had

AO3: pollock - society simply had a different notion of childhood to today

Question 4

modern cult of childhood

Answer 4

• modern childhood emerged from 13th century onwards
• schools specialised in education purely for children
• children were ‘fragile creatures of god’
• more child centred-ness, e.g. handbooks on child rearing available
• 19th century, IMR decreased due to improvements in sanitation/diet
• changing attitudes of MC parents meant children became objects of love and devotion