Family - Children and Childhood - 2.4 Flashcards

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1
Q

Childhood as Social Construction

A

> Varies historically & culturally defined by society

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2
Q

Modern Ideas of Childhood

A

> Distinct life stage with a right to happiness, opposite to adults e.g. diff laws, dress, product & services

> Vulnerable need adults to provide & protect from outside world

> Period of socialisation in family & education, excluded from paid work

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3
Q

Childhood as a Social Construct (KS)

A

> Wagg (Separate Age Status)

> Punch (Cross-Cultural Differences)
Firth (Cross-Cultural Differences)
Malinowski (Cross-Cultural Differences)

> Aries (Historical Differences in Childhood)
Shorter (Parental Attitudes to Kids in Middle Ages)

> Postman (Disappearance of Childhood)
Jenks (Childhood in Postmodernity)

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4
Q

Wagg (Separate Age Status)

A

> Not universal & should be distinguished from biological immaturity

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5
Q

Punch (Cross-Cultural Differences)

A

At age of 5 children take work roles in home & society without question or hesitation (Bolivia)

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6
Q

Firth (Cross-Cultural Differences)

A
> Listening to adults is the choice of the child not 
 the expectation (Tikopia)
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7
Q

Malinowski (Cross-Cultural Differences)

A

> Adults were tolerant and amused by children’s sexual explorations (Trobriand islanders)

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8
Q

Globalisation of Western Childhood

A

> Trying to impose western notions of childhood - including less economically developed countries

> e.g. Campaigns against child labour has no impact on children’s position in less economically developed countries - this prepares children for adult life.

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9
Q

Aries (Historical Differences in Childhood)

A

> Childhood is a relatively recent invention. It was non-existent in Middle Ages e.g. artwork shows children as ‘mini-adults with equal roles

> Work began from early age, no distinction in law, faced equal punishments as adults

> But now obsessed with childhood e.g. 1900’s is the century of the child

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10
Q

Shorter (Parental Attitudes to children in the Middle Ages)

A

> Increased death rate of children meant there was a lot of neglect.
Parents gave newborns their recently dead sibling’s name.
People forgot the number of children that they had.

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11
Q

Aries & Historical Differences in School, Church, Clothing from 13th Century

A

> Schools: Only for adults initially

> Church: Saw children as fragile creatures needing protection

> Clothing: By 17th Century distinction between children’s & adult’s clothing

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12
Q

A03 Childhood as a Social Construct (Key Studies)

A

> Pollock (Aries)

> Opie (Postman)

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13
Q

Pollock A03 Childhood as a Social Construct (Key Study)

A

> Childhood was just different, not non-existent

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14
Q

Reasons for Children’s Changing Position in Society

A

> Laws Banning Child Labour

> Compulsory Schooling

> Child Protection & Welfare Laws

> Industrialisation

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15
Q

Laws Banning Child Labour - Reasons for Children Changing Position

A

> Not economic assets, but liabilities, dependent on parents

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16
Q

Compulsory Schooling - Reasons for Kids Changing Position

A

> Made period of dependency on family, separating children from working life

17
Q

Child Protection and Welfare Laws - Reasons for Children Changing Position

A

Emphasised children’s vulnerability, made welfare main concern.

18
Q

Industrialisation - Reasons for Children’s Changing Position

A

> Modernity needs educated workforce e.g. compulsory education needed

> Increased living standards so decline in the infant mortality rate

19
Q

Opie (AO3 Postman)

A

Not disappearing but changing, still evidence of separate children’s culture e.g. games, books, songs etc.

20
Q

Postman (Disappearance of Childhood)

A

> Collapse of information hierarchy. Due to TV culture adult information is now visible to children.

> During print culture this information was less visible due to the need for literacy skills, so children can’t access themes e.g. sex, money violence

> This blurs adulthood & childhood as they participate in the adult world e.g. kids doing adult crimes e.g murder or rape.

21
Q

General Criticisms of Postman

A

Overemphasises the impact TV over laws/higher living standards.

22
Q

Jenks (Childhood in Modernity & Postmodernity)

A

> Changing not disappearing. There is increasing child-centeredness. We need childhood to be future productive adults.

> Vulnerable children need nurturing/protecting

> But in postmodernity there is more divorce, adult relationships are more unstable, so relationships between adults and children are a last refuge from insecurity

> Increased fear relating to children’s safety has resulted in greater regulation

23
Q

General Criticisms of Jenks

A

> Overgeneralises that all children are in an equal position, ignores diversity of family/childhood patterns.

24
Q

Has the Positions of Children Improved (Key Studies)

A

> Aries & Shorter (March of Progress view)

> Palmer (Toxic Childhood)

> Hillman (Inequalities Among Children in Gender)
Brannen (Inequalities Among Children in Ethnicity)
Woodroffe (Inequalities Among Children in Class)

> Firestone & Holt (Adult and Child Conflict & Inequality)

> Gittins (Age Patriarchy)
James & Hockey (Resistance to Age Patriarchy by children)

> Myall (New Sociology of Childhood)

> Smart (Children and Divorce)

25
Q

Aries & Shorter (March of Progress View)

A

> Position of children currently best ever, they are more valued & protected, have increased health & rights e.g. laws against child abuse

> Society is more child-centred with increased standards of living so we can afford provide more resources to them than ever before

> Parents make greater emotional & financial investments in them

26
Q

Palmer (Toxic Childhood)

A

> Technological/cultural changes damaged children’s development, so deprived of genuine childhood

> e.g junk food, video games, parents long working hours, tests at school e.g. SATS

> UK have increased rates of obesity, teen pregnancies, drug/alcohol abuse

27
Q

General Criticisms of Palmer

A

> Trends not applicable to all - working class are more likely to be affected.

28
Q

Hillman (Inequalities Among Children in Gender)

A

> Boys and girls have different experiences due to differences in socialisation.

> Boys have greater freedom younger e.g. going out late, girls restricted to bedroom culture

29
Q

Brannen (Inequalities Among Children in Ethnicity)

A

Asians are strict & more restrictive on daughters

30
Q

Woodroffe (Inequalities Among Children in Class)

A

> Working class mums are more likely to have low birth-weight babies, with delayed development.

> More likely to die as an infant, shorter in height, hyperactivity, low IQ etc

31
Q

Firestone & Holt (Adult and Child Conflict & Inequality)

A

> March of progress view is overgeneralised, more children are neglected

> Childhood is more oppressive, adults use the excuse of protection to limit their activities

> e.g. they are excluded from paid work, so dependent & powerless to adult control - but exclusion makes sense

32
Q

Gittins (Age Patriachy)

A

> Adult domination means children are controlled by adults, adults control children’s TIME, SPACE, BODIES, RESOURCES

> Children are economically dependent on adults, as they can’t work

> Greater control and abuse e.g. 40 000 kids are on the child protection register.

33
Q

James & Hockey (Resistance to Age Patriarchy by children)

A

> Children act older engaging in adult acts e.g sex, smoking

> They want to escape childhood.

34
Q

Myall (New Sociology of Childhood)

A

> Children are just seen as passive “socialisation projects” for adults to shape

> But children actually play an increased role in creating their own childhood.

> The New Sociology of Childhood looks at children’s viewpoints, exploring diverse childhoods

35
Q

Smart (Children of Divorce & New Sociology of Childhood)

A

> Children are not passive victims of divorce, they are actively trying to make the situation better for everyone.