Childhood theorists/theory Flashcards
Who talks about the modern western idea of children?
Pilcher
Separateness argued to be most important figure of childhood
- distinct life stage and children in our society occur a separate status from adults
> Differences in dress, products and services
Who looked at historical differences in childhood?
Aries
Studied paintings, argued that in pre industrial society, children were little adults who take on adult responsibilities as young as 7/8
Further explain Aries findings
Children expected to help in productive activities in the household (households: unit of production than consumption)
- may be apprenticed out to learn a trade
- law: 7 or 8yr olds seen as being criminally responsible
> can be tried/punished on similar basis to adults
What was one reason for why children weren’t regarded as objects of love and devotion?
Very high level of infant mortality (IMR)
- life very ‘hand to mouth’ children had to work for family survival
- given adult responsibilities at a younger age
- remained well into 19th century, younger children employed to work in factories/mines
When did the view towards children start to change according to Aries?
IMR decreased with improvements to sanitation and diet
- increasing affluence of middle classes: attitudes of middle class parents change towards children (objects of love and devotion)
What did Aries note about the working classes despite the change?
Working classes tend to still view their children as little adults, as working class families tended to be dependent on children’s income for survival
Who looks at Responsibility in Samoa?
Holmes
In Samoa - children seen as future of family, community and nation (divine blessing)
- families generally very protective in regard to their children
- children undergo work at a very young age bc seen as future
- work such as farming expected of children to ensure new generation educated and have responsibility for welfare of community
Who looked at sexual behaviour in the Trobriand islandas?
Malinowski
Ruled by women
- Early as 6 - 13, boys encouraged to sleep with each other
- Taught erotic and intimate games
- Show their interest through offer of currency: tuber of ham to intended partner
- Go into a special hut
- If she stays there until sunrise = marriage
Who looks into inequalities among children?
Hillman
Brannen
What does Hillman talk about?
Gender differences
- Boys are more likely to be allowed to cross or cycle on roads, use buses and go out after dark unaccompanied
What did Brannen talk about?
Ethnic differences
- Study of 15-16 yr old’s found that Asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their daughters
What about class differences?
Poor mothers are more likely to have low birth weight, babies which may delay physical and intellectual development
Woodroffe:
Children from manual backgrounds are more likely to be hyperactive and suffer long standing illnesses than children of professionals
What do child liberationists say?
Need to free children from adult control.
How are children controlled by adults?
- Neglect and abuse, either physical, sexual or emotional
- Control over children’s space: children play areas, no children allowed areas
- Control over children’s time, adults in modern societies control children’s daily routines
- Control over children’s bodies including how they sit, walk, run etc.
Who talks about age patriarchy?
Gittins
Describe the inequalities between adults and children
- family structure oppressive against women and children
- today: power may assert itself in the form of violence against both children and women
What’s a study that supports Gittin’s theory?
Humphreys and Thiara
- quarter of 200 women in their study left abusing partner due to fear for their children
- supports theory of patriarchy oppresses children and women
What do critics say against child liberationists?
Argue that some adult control over children’s lives is justified on the grounds that children cannot make rational decisions
- unable to safeguard their interests themselves
Children aren’t as powerless as they say
- 1989 children act and UN convention on rights of children establish children’s right to be protected and consulted
Who talks about childhood disappearing?
Postman
Trend towards giving children the same rights as adults
- Disappearance of children’s traditional unsupervised games
- Growing similarity of adult and childrens clothing
- Cases of children committing ‘adult’ crimes like murder
Who talks about Information Hierarchy?
Postman
- refers to exposure to media early
What caused the disappearance of childhood?
fall of print culture, replaced by TV culture
- TV blurs distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying info hierarchy
- TV doesn’t require special skills, info available to both adults and children alike
- Breaks boundary, diminishes adult authority and replaces the innocence and ignorance of childhood with knowledge and cynicism
What do the new right say about childhood?
Children given too many rights in recent years
- Parent shouldn’t be increasingly criticized
- Parents shouldn’t be punished for sanctions like smacking children
- Childhood under threat due to period of innocent childhood has been shortened due to exposure to adult world
What are some new right scholars?
Postman and Palmer
Pugh
What did Postman and Palmer say?
Childhood under threat bc TV exposes them to adult world too soon
- Parents too happy to use TV, electronic games and junk food to keep children quiet
- parents too busy or too distracted by consumerism to give children a traditional childhood and family life
What did Pugh suggest?
Parental spending on children is ‘consumption as compensation’
- Parents who are ‘cash rich but time poor’ alleviate their guilt about not spending time with their children by buying them whatever consumer goods they want
What does Philips believe?
Media and peer groups become more influential than parents
- sees the media in the form of magazines aimed at young girls, pop music videos and TV as a particular problem
- encourage young girls to envisage themselves as sexual beings at a much younger age
What does Philips say about Trends?
Mean that the period of childhood has been shortened
- no longer sacred and innocent period lasting up to 13-14 years
- increase in social problems such as suicide, ED etc among children is a direct result of these proceses
What’s a study that proves philip’s point?
Margo and Dixon drawn on recent reports, say that UK youth are at or near the top of international league tables for obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse etc
What’s a critique for Philips argument?
Not all children affected equally by these negative trends
- clusters of young people, namely those growing up on the poorer end of the social scale, who live desperate lives while others dont
- Depends on which aspect of childhood we look at
- some aspects suggest the continuation of childhood as a separate age status while others say its disappearing or changing
Who critiques ‘childhood is disappearing’?
Opie
Childhood isn’t disappearing
- lifetime of research into children’s games, rhymes and songs conducted with husband
- strong evidence of continued existence of separate children’s culture over many years
- their studies show children can and do create their independent culture (separate from adult)
Who talks about toxic childhood?
Palmer
Rapid tech and cultural changes in past 25 years damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development
- changes range from junk food, computer games etc, to long hours worked by parents and growing emphasis on testing in education
What about globalization of childhood?
Western notion of childhood is spreading around the world
In ways like:
- campaigns for universal education
- charities focused on helping street children and preventing child labour
- globalized TV and media
