Families and Households - Childhood Flashcards
1
Q
Childhood - Biological Construction
A
- Childhood is a biological construction.
- As we grow our bodies change, we transition from one stage to the next.
- Argument for the universality of childhood – everyone goes through these biological changes and therefore childhood must be a fixed stage in our life cycle.
2
Q
Childhood - Social Construction
A
- Interactionist argue that society makes up our idea of childhood.
- Childhood is dependent on time and culture you are in.
- Types of acceptable behaviour, length and how children should be treated are all evidence of this.
3
Q
What is childhood?
A
‘A state, which is both socially and biologically constructed’
- The period of time where a person has not yet reached adult status but this is complex.
- Up to the 19th century many people in the UK did not know their actual date of birth and so had only a rough guess as to their age. Age status was often judged by how a person looked and behaved.
4
Q
Historical arguments - Aries
A
- Aries 1962 – ‘childhood’ did not exist in medieval Europe
- Used diaries, letters, other documents and paintings of the time to emphasis this
- Children were depicted as little adults, involved in adult activities such as sex, fighting and work from young ages (mills/mines etc.) - at this age, they were given responsibilities of helping out in productive household work and could be apprenticed to learn trades
- 7 and 8 year olds were held criminally responsible, and so could be tried as adults
Aries argued that two factors explained why society did not regard children as objects of love and devotion -
- There was a high level of infant mortality
- Life was very ‘hand to mouth’ with children working in order for the family unit to survive, which in turn led to family and adult responsibilities at a young age
- 19th century introduction of various laws stopped this, seeing the idea of the modern child emerge, but the idea of little adults remained into this century with employment of children in mines and factories in early industrialisation, but the decrease of infant mortality with better sanitation and diet saw a shift towards treating children as objects of love and devotion
- This is mainly due to the affluence of the middle class and the attitudes of middle class parents towards education etc, and Aries notes that the working classes did however still view their children as little adults as W/C families were dependent on their child’s income for survival
- Children in Victorian times - seen but not heard, no legal protection
- Evolution of language to refer to children and evolution of the stages between infancy and adulthood
5
Q
‘Childhood is better now’ arguments
A
Those arguing that childhood is better now point to the following - March of Progress
- the fall in the infant mortality rate and improvements in child healthcare
- various pieces of legislation which have removed children from full-time work at an early age, and offered young people protection when at work
- the gradual extension of the period in which children are in full-time education
- the development of legal rights for children
- the growth of specialist services for both children and parents to help to ensure the wellbeing of children
- the development of specialist toys and literature considered ‘age-appropriate’
- legislation to protect children from things which would be harmful to them, e.g. drugs, abusive adults, exposure to material considered ‘inappropriate’
6
Q
‘Childhood is worse now’ arguments
A
Those arguing that childhood is worse now point to the following:
- the rise of obesity and health problems among many children
- increased rates of depression and mental health problems, particularly among adolescents
- increased pressures on children and young people to ‘succeed’, especially in education
- the damage inflicted on many children by the break-up of their family
- the psychological and physical abuse inflicted on many children, often by members of their family, which in some cases has led to their death
- the blurring of the lines between children and adults, leading to the ‘loss of innocence’
7
Q
Fletcher and children (functionalism)
A
- Introduction of laws stopped children being treated as adults
- Factory Acts prevented children from a certain age working
- Education Acts ensured children up to a certain age were educated
- 20th century childhood now applies to all classes
8
Q
Childhood has always been around…
A
- Pollack – used diaries between 16th and 20th century. Found childhood did exist because children were subject to physical and emotional abuse
- Cunningham – Renaissance art portrayed children as innocents
- Functionalists and psychologists – mental and physical developments should play a key part
Theories that it still remains a construct -
- Childhood is a long way from disappearing
- Now a major economic force – clothes, toys, food etc
- Buckingham – children have a major say on what is produced and purchased
- Lee – not disappeared but has become more complex and ambiguous
- Although can have a say what they want, they are still dependent on parents purchasing power
9
Q
Contemporary cross cultural differences in childhood
A
- Bilton – childhood is experienced differently in the Western world compared to the East.
- Western world has childhood, Eastern world still sees children working in factories
10
Q
Child labour
A
- While child labour in Western societies has been progressively curtailed and regulated, in many other parts of the world children are part of the labour force — legally or illegally.
- The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defines child labour as ‘work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development’.
- The ILO estimates that around the world around 215 million children under 18 work, many full-time and many in hazardous occupations.
- UNICEF estimates that around 150 million children aged 5–14 in developing countries (about 16% of all children in this age group) are involved in child labour (UNICEF 2011 State of the World’s Children).
11
Q
Child soldiers
A
- It is estimated there are 250,000 child soldiers in the world, 40% of them girls.
- The largest number are in Africa (Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan).
- The effects on the children are long-lasting. Many become desensitised to violence, and they can be psychologically damaged for life. Most have missed out on school and have very poor future prospects.
- In June 2013 the United Nations set a goal of having no child soldiers anywhere in the world by 2016.
12
Q
The decline of childhood
A
- Lee – 20th century notion of childhood was that of unstable and incomplete humans.
- Move to 21st century no longer complete when we reach adulthood, still sense of uncertainty
- Adults are becoming more like children
- Children have increased rights – children have more say over what happens to them
Postman -
- Notion of childhood has disappeared
- Childhood can only occur if they are separated from adults
- Merging of roles, children have rights, access to same levels of media
- Boundaries have blurred
13
Q
Conclusions about childhood
A
- Childhood is a ‘social construct’ — it means different things at different times, in different places and to different groups.
- There is disagreement regarding whether, in Western societies in general and the UK in particular, the experience of childhood has got ‘better’ or ‘worse’ — remember that these are evaluative terms.
- As with any social group, there are considerable differences both within and between different social and ethnic groups.
- In some parts of the world, children who in the West would still have many years of education in front of them are engaged in often heavy and dangerous work or are being used as soldiers.
14
Q
Cultural relativity
A
How different features of cultures relate to one another on sociological concepts and how they compare.
15
Q
Childhood - The Modern Western Idea; Jane Pilcher
A
- Separateness - childhood is seen as a distinct life stage, and children in our society occupy a separate status from adults
- This is illustrated in different ways, such as through laws regulating what children are allowed, required or forbidden to do
- Their difference from adults is also illustrated through differences in dress, especially for younger children, and through products and services specially for children, such as toys, food, play areas, age ratings and so on
- Physically different in size, stature, robustness and physical appearance - they are also more vulnerable due to their lightness and weakness and they are needed of protection from the dangers of the adult world and so they must be separated
- They are physically, psychologically and socially different, and these fundamental differences due to biology make childhood not a social construction
- Psychological immaturity - self-regulation of emotions is a struggle
- Therefore, children’s lives are lived largely in the sphere of family and education, where adults provide for them and protect them
- Childhood is a ‘golden age’ of happiness and innocence, adding to the separateness status
- However, this view of childhood as a separate age-status is not found in all societies. Stephen Wagg argues that because childhood is socially constructed there is not one single universal experience of childhood.
- This means that, while all humans go through the same physical process of ageing, different societies construct or define this process differently.
