Children and childhood Flashcards
why isn’t childhood universal
expectations are different depending on where you live in the world - culturally & socially
laws to protect children are different in different countries
which 4 sociologists believe childhood is lengthening
Aries
Jenks
Gill
Furedi
which 3 sociologists believe childhood is shortening
Postman
Palmer
Phillips
Phillipe Aries
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
criticism of Aries analysing art
art is subjective
how is childhood a protected life stage in the UK?
compulsory education till 18
safeguarding
social services
Sarah’s law
Samantha Punch’s Study of rural Bolivia (2001)
example of a cross-cultural difference in childhood
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
which study shows that childhood can be seen as a biological and psychological development?
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
6 reasons for the emergence of modern childhood
Romantic Love
Technological change
Policies
Economics of children
family size
expert knowledge
how has the decrease in family size effected childhood
smaller families - quality relationships
how has romantic love effected modern childhood?
marriage for love
children seen as products of a special relationship
How has education changed over time for children? - school leaving ages
school leaving age
10 - 1880
15 - 1945
18 - 2008
child centred
family life etc. revolves around the child, with their development and well being seen as a priority
4 reasons why child centredness is positive
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
3 reasons why child centredness is negative
`1’golden child syndrome’ - china ‘little emperors’
paranoid parenting
children become overly protected from exposure to the outside world.
compulsory education till 18
emphasises education over employment
social services and laws
protect children from abuse
state funded childcare
government provide some free childcare for 2-4 year olds
The Divorce Reform Act 1971
people could end marriages that had irretrievably broken down and neither partner had to prove fault
percentage of children in the uk living in relative poverty
29%
Christopher Jenks
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
Tim Gill
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
Frank Furedi
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
Neil Postman (1994)
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’
