Families & Households - Childhood

Question 1

What are the key questions/debates regarding childhood?

Answer 1

Why do sociologists see childhood as a social construct?
Is children’s position better today than it was in the past?
What does the future hold for childhood?

Question 2

Why do sociologists see childhood as a social construct?

Answer 2

Ideas about childhood differ between societies & historical periods - constructed by society

Question 3

What is the modern western notion of childhood?

Answer 3

Seen as being special
Children are seen as different than adults - they’re vulnerable, innocent, needy & in need of protection from the dangerous adult world - need to kept separate/isolated

Question 4

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Pilcher say about childhood?

Answer 4

Argues childhood is very distinct as a result of separateness, age & status
Children occupy a different status than adults which is shown through dress/food/entertainment/laws & rules regulating what they are allowed/forbidden/required to do

Question 5

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Wagg say about childhood?

Answer 5

Childhood is socially constructed - there’s no 1 universal childhood for everyone
Childhood isnt natural & not the same as physical maturity (biological category/status)
Children are physically different that adults (smaller/weaker/sexually immature-
Meaning varies over time & for different cultures

Question 6

What are cross cultural differences in childhood & how is it used to explain childhood?

Answer 6

Involves looking at the way children are seen & treated in other times/places - shows the social construction of childhood

Question 7

SOCIOLOGIST: What did Holmes find in his study of a Samoan village?

Answer 7

Found children take responsibility- ‘too young’ never given as a reason for not letting a child undertake a task e.g. dangerous tasks
“If a child thinks s/he can do it, parents don’t object”

Question 8

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Firth say about cross cultural differences in childhood?

Answer 8

Less value is places on children showing obedience to authority in the tikopia (western pacific)
Doing what you’ve been told by an adult is regarded as a concession granted by children not as a right expected by adults

Question 9

SOCIOLOGIST: What did Malinowski say about cross cultural differences in childhood?

Answer 9

Children’s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently
The adult Trobiand islanders of the south west pacific take a tolerant & amused interest in their children’s sexual activities & experiences

Question 10

What are historical differences in childhood?

Answer 10

Children used to work and were treated differently

Question 11

What are the 2 sides to the debate of ‘Is childhood better now’?

Answer 11

The march of progress view - positive changes
The toxic childhood view - negative changes

Question 12

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Aries say about the march of progress view?

Answer 12

Argued children’s position in society differs over time
Middle Ages (10-13th century) - children seen as mini adults (same duties/rights/dress/punishment)
Childhood is a ‘recent invention’
We’ve moved from a world that doesn’t see children as special to one obsessed with childhood
Sees the 20th century as the century of the child - ‘cult of childhood’

Question 13

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Shorter say about the march of progress view?

Answer 13

Parental attitudes towards children were different in the Middle Ages - high death rate encouraged parental neglect as babies were given the same name as a dead sibling/referred to as ‘baby’/‘it’ or parents would forget how many children they had

Question 14

What is the evidence of a changing childhood?

Answer 14

Growth of schools - influenced by the church & saw children as fragile ‘creations of good’ in need of discipline & protection from worldly evils
Upper class children dressed differently by the 17th century - more suited to age group
Books on child rearing appeared in the 18th century - sign of a growing ‘child-centred’ society

Question 15

What are the examples of a child-centred society?

Answer 15

Children have their own toys, tv programmes, play areas, special food & drink etc
Provided with education
Have their own doctors, teachers etc to care for them

Question 16

What are the reasons for changes in the position of children?

Answer 16

Laws restricting child labour - economic assets to economic liabities so they became financially dependent on their parents
Compulsory schooling (1880) - prevented children from working & raised school leaving age
Child protection laws - prevention of cruelty to children act 1989 - made welfare of children the fundamental principle underpinned by social services + smoking & age of consent went up
Smaller family sizes & lower infant mortality rates - parents made a greater financial & emotional investment in their kids
Children’s health & development made a subject to medical knowledge

Question 17

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Palmer say about the toxic childhood view?

Answer 17

Argues a toxic mix of technological & cultural changes have had a negative effect on development of a growing number of children
Outlines 6 main ways childhood has become increasingly toxic over the years

Question 18

What were the 6 main ways childhood has become increasingly toxic over the years suggested by Palmer?

Answer 18

Rapid technological & cultural changes harm children
Screen saturation
Commercialisation of childhood
The decline of outdoor play
Shortened attention spans
Education: testing & targets
The schoolification of early childhood

Question 19

What are some limitations of Palmer’s view on the toxic childhood?

Answer 19

Could be an example of ‘adult panicking’ about technological changes, maybe children are more adaptable than palmer thinks
Taking the long term view, childhood is commercialised but surely children are better off today as consumers than producers

Question 20

What is the conflict view on childhood?

Answer 20

Argue society is based on conflict between social groups e.g. class/gender
See relationship between social groups as one of domination & subordination - dominant group = oppressors
Argue march of progress view is based on a false & idealised image that ignores important inequalities e.g. among children (many remain unprotected & badly cared for), between children (children today experience greater control, oppression & dependency not greater care & protection)

Question 21

What are the different inequalities among children?

Answer 21

Not all children share the same status/ experiences e.g. children of different nationalities
Gender differences between children e.g. Bonke - girls do more domestic labour than boys (higher in lone parent families)
Ethnic differences - Asian parents more likely to be strict towards daughters
Class inequalities - e.g. poor mother more likely to have low birth weight babies - delayed physical/mental development (affect life chances)
Can’t speak of ‘children’ in general as all equal

Question 22

When are the different inequalities between children & adults?

Answer 22

Adult control
Control over children’s space/time/bodies/access to resources

Question 23

What are the inequalities that stem from adult control?

Answer 23

Neglect & abuse - 43000 children subject to child protection plans deemed at risk of significant harm usually from the parents (2013) - identify the ‘dark side’ of family life where children are the victims

Question 24

What are the inequalities that stem from adult’s control of children’s space?

Answer 24

Children movements in industrial spaces are highly regulated e.g. CCTV in public during school hours, shops that display ‘no school children’ signs
Fears on road safety & stranger danger led more kids being driven to school rather than being driven independently - contrasts independence of kids in developing countries

Question 25

What are the inequalities that stem from adult’s control over children’s time?

Answer 25

Adults control daily routines & speed of which children ‘grow up’ - define if they’re old enough for certain activities/responsibilities/behaviours
Contrasts Holmes - ‘too young’ not an excuse

Question 26

What are the inequalities that stem from adult’s control over children’s bodies?

Answer 26

Adults exercise control over children’s bodies e.g. how they sit/walk/run, their hair/what they wear/can or can’t have piercings/affection/discipline/washing/bathing/feeding them
Also restrict ways in which children touch their own bodies - contrasts sexual freedoms in Trobiand Islands

Question 27

What are the inequalities that stem over children’s access to resources?

Answer 27

Children only have limited opportunities to make money - economically dependent
Labour laws & compulsory schooling have excluded them from all but not most marginal, low paid, part time jobs
State child benefits - parent recieves not the child
Pocket money - depends on ‘good behaviour’ & restrictions on what can/can’t be bought
Contrasts economic role of children in developing countries

Question 28

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Gittins say about the age patriarchy?

Answer 28

Pointed out that originally ‘family’ refers to the power of the male head over all other household members (including children,servants & women)
Today the power still asserts itself in the form of violence against women & children
Humphreys & Thiara - 1/4 of women left abusing partner, fearing their child’s safety - supports view that patriarchy oppresses women & children

Question 29

What is some evidence that children may experience childhood as oppressive from rebellion & resistance to the child status & its existence?

Answer 29

‘Acting up’ -> children acting like adults & not doing what they’re supposed to do e.g. swearing/smoking
Children may exaggerate their age e.g ‘I’m nearly 9’
‘Acting down’ -> behaviour which is expected from younger children e.g. reverting to baby talk (Hockey & James conclude modern childhood is a status most children want to escape)

Question 30

What are some criticisms of child liberationists?

Answer 30

Some adult control is justified -> children cannot make rational decisions & cannot safeguard their own interests
Children aren’t powerless -> 1989 Children Act & UN Convention on the rights of the child (establish children have legal rights to be protected & consulted

Question 31

What is the ‘New’ sociology of childhood?

Answer 31

Childhood is a social construct (childhood changes over time & there is a danger in seeing kids as merely passive objects that don’t play a part in their own childhood - adultist view)
Children may be seen as ‘socialisation projects’ for adults to mould, shape & develop for what they will become in the future
Children aren’t seen as ‘adults in the making’ and sees kids as active agents who play major parts in their childhoods

Question 32

SOCIOLOGIST: What does Smart say about the child’s POV?

Answer 32

Says new approach aims to include children’s views & experiences while living through childhood

Question 33

SOCIOLOGIST: What do Mason & Tipper say about the child’s POV?

Answer 33

Children actively create their own definitions of who ‘family’ is -> might not include ‘proper’ relatives but those who are regarded as close
Prefer research methods e.g. unstructured interviews which empower children to express their POV & allow researchers to see it -> enables sociologists to distinguish diverse childhoods that exist in 1 society e.g. disabled childhood
Draws attention to the fact that children lack power in relation to adults (favoured by child liberationists)