Children and childhood

Question 1

why isn’t childhood universal

Answer 1

expectations are different depending on where you live in the world - culturally & socially

laws to protect children are different in different countries

Question 2

which 4 sociologists believe childhood is lengthening

Answer 2

Aries
Jenks
Gill
Furedi

Question 3

which 3 sociologists believe childhood is shortening

Answer 3

Postman
Palmer
Phillips

Question 4

Phillipe Aries

Answer 4

analysed art, letters and memoirs from the Middle Ages - found that children were often depicted as ‘small adults’

compared with the historical context, childhood is a protected and privileged time and a distinct life stage from adulthood.

children economically dependent & in education for longer

laws in place to protect children

Question 5

criticism of Aries analysing art

Answer 5

art is subjective

Question 6

how is childhood a protected life stage in the UK?

Answer 6

compulsory education till 18
safeguarding
social services
Sarah’s law

Question 7

Samantha Punch’s Study of rural Bolivia (2001)

example of a cross-cultural difference in childhood

Answer 7

once children are around 5 years old they are expected to take on work responsibilities in the home & community

tasks are taken on without question or hesitation

Question 8

which study shows that childhood can be seen as a biological and psychological development?

Answer 8

Wyness (2006) - ‘ages and stages approach’

.children should be competent in certain points with ‘benchmarks’ being set to measure development

criticism - places all children into the same catagory of experiences

Question 9

6 reasons for the emergence of modern childhood

Answer 9

Romantic Love
Technological change
Policies
Economics of children
family size
expert knowledge

Question 10

how has the decrease in family size effected childhood

Answer 10

smaller families - quality relationships

Question 11

how has romantic love effected modern childhood?

Answer 11

marriage for love

children seen as products of a special relationship

Question 12

How has education changed over time for children?

Answer 12

school leaving age
10 - 1880
14 - 1900
15 - 1945
16 - 1971
18 - 2008

Question 13

child centred

Answer 13

family life etc. revolves around the child, with their development and well being seen as a priority

Question 14

4 reasons why child centredness is positive

Answer 14

concentration of resources on a smaller no. of children

concerns about development & well being

protection from dangers of adult world

emphasis on education over employment

Question 15

4 reasons why child centredness is negative

Answer 15

`1’golden child syndrome’ - china ‘little emperors’

paranoid parenting

helicopter parenting

children become overly protected from exposure to the outside world.

Question 16

compulsory education till 18

Answer 16

emphasises education over employment

Question 17

social services and laws

Answer 17

protect children from abuse

Question 18

state funded childcare

Answer 18

government provide some free childcare for 2-4 year olds

Question 19

The Divorce Reform Act 1971

Answer 19

people could end marriages that had irretrievably broken down and neither partner had to prove fault

Question 20

percentage of children in the uk living in relative poverty

Answer 20

29%

Question 21

Christopher Jenks

Answer 21

in postmodern society

more unstable relationships and feelings of insecurity

parents relationship with their children become more important as a source of adults’ identity and stability

childhood continues to be a separate status

Question 22

Tim Gill

Answer 22

children have greater exposure to the adult world - but not in relation to everyday autonomy

children subject to greater control and adult supervision

this limits their ability to develop skills needed for growing up

Question 23

Frank Furedi

Answer 23

increasingly paranoid parents
- have restricted freedom to play and their creativity
- associated issues are increased childhood obesity

adults now worry about external problems instead of just problems within the family

Question 24

Neil Postman (1994)

Answer 24

distinction between young and old people started to disappear with the emergence of mass literacy - young people exposed to the adult world earlier

easier access to adult media

loss of an ‘information hierarchy’

Question 25

Palmer (2015)

Answer 25

rapid technological and cultural changes - past 25 years - e.g. junk food & testing in edcation

damaged childrens physical, emotional and intellectual development

UNICEF surveys consistently rank UK childrens well being as relatively low compared to other countries

Question 26

Melanie Phillips

Answer 26

critic of ‘liberal’ approaches to child rearing

increased rights of children have caused parents and schools to lose their ability to discipline children

loss of discipline and the shift away from competition = adults who can’t cope with wider society

Question 27

The social construction of age

Answer 27

ideas, norms and values about age and life stages depend on the time and context of a specific culture

Question 28

beanpole family

Answer 28

made up of several generations but with few siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins