Families and Households: Childhood Flashcards
What is a social construction?
Something created, made, and defined by society.
In what ways is childhood a social construction?
- Cross-cultural variations
- Historical Differences
What is the modern western notion of childhood?
Childhood is seen as a special time. Children are viewed as physically and psycologically immature. They are seen as needing a lengthy protected period of nurturing and socialisation before they enter into adult society and take on its responsibilities.
Pilcher (1995)
States the most important feature of modern childhood is separateness. Childhood is seen as a clear and distinct life stage and children occupy a seperate status from adults.
How is seperateness seen in society?
- Laws regulating what children are allowed, required or forbidden to do.
- Differences in dress, and prodcts and services aimed at children.
How and why are children ‘quarantined’?
Childhood is seen as a ‘golden age’ of innocence and happiness, so children are viewed as vulnerable and in need of protection from the dangers of the adult world. Children lead lives of leisure and play and are excluded from paid work.
Wagg (1992)
Argues there is no single universal childhood experienced by all, and childhood should be distinguoshed from mere biological immaturity. Childhood is thus a social construct.
Benedict (1934)
Argues children in simpler, non-industrial societies are treated differently from their modern western counterparts.
How are children in simple non-industrial societies treated differently from their modern western counterparts?
- They take responsibility at an early age.
- Less value is placed on obedience to adult authority.
- Children’s sexual behaviours are viewed differently.
Punch (2001)
Studied childhood in rural Bolivia and found that once children are five years old, they are expected to take work responsibility in the home and community.
Holmes (1974)
Study of a Samoan village foung that “too young” was neber given as a reason for not permitting a child to undertake a task.
Firth (1970)
Found that among the Tikopia of the western pacific, doing as your told by a grownup is regarded as a concession to be granted by the child, not a right to be expected by the adult.
Malinowski (1957)
Found that among the Tobriand Islanders of the south-west pacific adults took an attitude of ‘tolerance and amuse interest’ towards childrens sexual explorations and activities.
What is meant by the globalisation of childhood?
International humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported and imposed on the world, western norms of childhood as a seperate life stage, based on the nuclear family and school in which children have no economic role and are vulnerable dependents.
Outline and explain two ways in which the western notion childhood has become globalised
- Global laws such as the human rights act, outline universal rights for children including the right to life, survival and development.
- Humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported western norms of childhood
Aries (1960)
Argues in medieval Europe the idea of childhood did not exist. Soon after being weaned, the child entered wider society on much the same terms as an adult, beginning work from an early age.
How does art work from the medieval period support Aries (1960) view of childhood?
Children appear without any of the characteristics of childhood, they are simply depicted on a smaller scale.
How were children viewed in the medieval times?
They were in effect mini-adults with the same rights, duties and skills. The law made no distinction between children and adults and children often faced the same sereve punishment as adults.
Shorter (1975)
Argues that in the past high death rates encouraged indifference and neglect torwards infants. It was not uncommon for parents to give a new born baby the name of a recently dead sibling, or to refer to the baby as ‘it’.
What elements of the modern notion of childhood began to emerge from the 13th century onwards?
- Schools began to specialise in the education of the young.
- There was a growing distinction between children’s and adults clothing.
- Handbooks on child rearing were eidley available.
When did handbooks on childrearing become more widley available?
18th Century
Why did schools specialise in children’s education?
Becuase of church influence, which saw children as fragile ‘creatures of God’ in need of discipline and protection from wordly evils.
How was there a growing distinction between children’s and adults clothing?
By the 17th century an upper-class boy would be dressed in ‘an outfit reserved for his own age group which would set him apart from adults’.
What is a ‘cult of childhood’ according to Aries?
He argues that we have moved into a world obsessed with childhood, describing the 20th century as the ‘century of the child’.
Pollock (1983)
Argues that it is most appropriate to say that in the middle ages society simply had a different notion of childhood, rather than arguing it did not exist.
When was the first law specific to child protection introduced?
1889
Children’s Charter (1889)
Enabled the state to intervene, for the first time, in relations between parents and children. Police could arrest anyone found ill-treating a child, and enter a home if a child was thought to be in danger.
What are some reasons for changes in the position of children in the west?
- Laws restricting child labour
- Introduction of compulsory schooling
- Child protection and welfare legistlation
- Childrens rights
- Declining family size/lower infant mortlaity
- Medical knowledge
Which process underlies many of the changes in the position of children during the 19th and 20th centuries?
Industrialisation.
How has industrailsation affected childhood?
Modern industry needs an educated workforce and this requires compulsory schooling of the young. The higher standards of living and better welfare provision that industry makes possible leads to lower infant mortality.
How have laws restricting child labour changed the position of childen in the west?
Children are no longer economic assets who could earn a wage for their family, instead they are an economic liability and financially dependent on parents.
How has the introduction of compulsory schooling changed the position of children in the west?
Compulsory schooling was introduced in 1880. School seperated a child’s world from an adults world, and also meant children could no longer work, they were even more dependent on family for finances.
How has child protection and welfare legislation changed the position of children in the west?
The Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act (1889) and the Children Act (1989) made the welfare of the child a fundamental principle underpinning the work of agencies such as social services.
1989 Children Act
Argues parents have ‘responsibilities’ rather than ‘rights’ in relation to children.
**United Nations Convention **on the rights of the child (1989)
Lays down basic rights for children such as entitlement to healthcare and education, protection from harm and abuse and the right to participate in decisions that affect them such as custody cases.
How have declining family size and lower infant mortality rates affected the position of children?
These have encouraged parents to make greater financial and emotional investments in the few children they now have.
How has increased medical knowledge affected the position of children?
Childhood development has become the subject of more medical knowledge and research. Theories of child development began to appear from the late 19th century stressing that children need supervision and protection.
Donzelot (1977)
Observes how theories of child development began to appear from the late 19th century, which stressed that children need supervision and protection.
How have laws that apply specifically to children changes the position of children in the west?
Minimum age restrictions and other laws designed specifically for children, reinforce the idea that children are different from adults and so different rules must be applied to them.
What four ideas explore the future of childhood?
- The disapearance of childhood
- A separate childhood
- Childhood in postmodernity
- The globalisation of childhood
Postman (1994)
Argues childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed.
What four trends support the disappearence of childhood?
- Giving children the same rights as adults
- The disappearence of children’s traditional unsupervised games
- Growing similarities between adult and children’s clothing.
- Similarities in adult and childrens activities.
According to Postman (1994) what causes both the emergence of childhood as well as its disappearence?
The rise and fall of print culture and its replacement through telivision culture.
How does telivision contribute to the disappearence of childhood?
It blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the information heirarchy. The boundary between adults and children is broken down, adult authority diminishes and the ignorence and innocence of childhood is replaced by knowledge and cynicism.
